“O sim que me move”: as recomposições do catolicismo e a Comunidade Sim de Maria

Abstract

In modern times, there is a growing presence of so-called New Communities or Communities of Life and Covenant within Catholicism. They are associations of Catholics who come together and aim for a common ideal of life expressed and originally defined by their founder(s) who has a religious and personal charisma manifested as an attractive and unitive element for the members. In this work, we intend to analyse the social conditioning factors behind the emergence and institutionalization of the Sim de Maria Community of Life and Covenant, taking it as a laboratory for observing the dynamics of Catholicism in contemporary times. In view of this, the methodological strategy will integrate qualitative and quantitative elements, proceeding with bibliographical research, documentary research, semi-structured interviews with the founder, co-founders, life members and some covenant members, as well as with dissident members, and also unstructured interviews with members of the RCC, participant observation of Community events, presentation and analysis of census data. The main theoretical bases are Max Weber (1982, 1991), Pierre Bourdieu (1983, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2007, 2021), Peter Berger (1971, 2000, 2017) with Thomas Luckmann (2004) and the various research studies carried out by Eliane Oliveira (2004, 2008), Brenda Carranza (2009), Cecília Mariz (2009), Júlia Miranda (1999; 2010), Flávio Sofiati and Alberto Moreira (2009, 2018), Carlos Steil (2004, 2009, 2010, 2013) and Emanuel Freitas da Silva (2019, 2020, 2023). The research is structured in three chapters. The first deals with the contemporary recompositions of Catholicism in a context of decline and crisis. In the second chapter, we will talk about Catholic Pentecostalization, considering its bases, movements and new institutional forms in Imperatriz. In the third and final chapter, we will present the processes of the foundation and institutionalization of the Sim de Maria Community and the issues surrounding charisma, religious discipline and modes of selection.