History of the Association
Founded on November 7, 2006, the José Gabriel da Costa Association exists to build and maintain the José Gabriel da Costa Memorial in Porto Velho, Brazil.
Founded on November 7, 2006, the José Gabriel da Costa Association (AJGC) exists to build and maintain the José Gabriel da Costa Memorial in Porto Velho, Rondônia.
The idea of building the Memorial in Porto Velho goes back to 1994, during the General Representation of Mestre Monteiro, when Mestre Máximo, then Representative of Núcleo Mestre Iagora, wrote a letter to the General Board expressing his wish, shared by Mestre Pequenina, that the Board consider purchasing the land where Mestre Gabriel’s family had lived and where the first Headquarters of the UDV had stood, so that the Memorial could one day be built there, even replanting the same species of trees that grew on the site. The letter was published in the newsletter Alto Falante no. 20, November 1994.
The proposal was accepted by the then President of the General Board, Mestre Edson Saraiva, and the land was later purchased by the Centro Espírita Beneficente União do Vegetal. The General Board drew up the first design for the Memorial in 2003, but it could not be carried out at that time.
The José Gabriel da Costa Memorial meets the need of the irmandade of the União do Vegetal to preserve the history of the life and work of Mestre Gabriel. With a replica of the house where Mestre Gabriel and his family lived, as well as spaces for gathering and for permanent and thematic exhibitions, it aims to offer information to members, authorities and researchers, contributing to the institutional recognition of the União do Vegetal.
Presidents
M. José Carlos Garcia (2006–2010)
To bring the project to life and carry the original idea forward, the José Gabriel da Costa Association was founded in Porto Velho. Its first President was Mestre José Carlos Garcia, who led the Board for two terms, from November 2006 to November 2010, with Counselor Ana Maria as Vice-President in the first term and Mestre Edson Lodi in the second. The most important milestone of the first term was the donation of the land to the Association by the General Board, followed by the registration of the Minutes of the Founding General Assembly and of the AJGC Bylaws. Throughout both terms, fundraising events were held and the Association was publicized all over Brazil.
M. Plínio Martins de Oliveira (2010–2015)
In 2010, Mestre Plínio Martins de Oliveira was elected President. His first term ran from November 2010 to January 6, 2012, and his second from January 2012 to January 6, 2015, with Mestre Edson Lodi and Mestre Carmiro Gabriel da Costa, respectively, as Vice-Presidents.
During his administration, the AJGC Bylaws were amended to create the Deliberative Council and to align the terms of the AJGC board with those of the other bodies of the UDV.
Improvements were made to the AJGC land, such as clearing, filling and maintenance. On April 1, 2012, the foundation stone of the José Gabriel da Costa Memorial was laid. On that date, an extra Vegetal session was held, led by M. Jair Gabriel, with a large attendance of Mestres of the Council for the Recollection of the Teachings of Mestre Gabriel and several of the Mestre’s children and grandchildren.
C. Jandira Ferreira de Oliveira (2015–2018)
From 2015 to 2018, the AJGC board was chaired by C. Jandira Gabriel, with M. Raimundo Viana (M. Alex) as Vice-President. During this administration, Bill no. 333/2016, introduced by state representative Ezequiel Júnior, was approved, declaring the Association of public utility. The term also brought improvements to the AJGC’s administrative and information technology procedures; the creation of the positions of AJGC coordinator and monitor; filling and leveling of the land; the installation of electricity and the legal regularization of the land; the construction of a new exposed-brick wall; and the construction of the replica of the former General Headquarters.
The replica of the former headquarters was built with the following dimensions and features: a 12 × 4 m house on a fully waterproofed concrete base; boards of angelim, a fine hardwood; a roof of more than 130 panels of caranaí palm thatch, with the timber and thatch treated against termites and varnished; and a gutter around the wall to better preserve the structure. A storeroom, a replica of a well (cacimba), a wood-burning stove, a jirau (a place for washing dishes), a table, an arch and benches were also built.
On April 1, 2015, an extra session was held at Núcleo Mestre Iagora with the members of the Association, led by M. Carmiro Gabriel. On April 1, 2016, the replica of the former General Headquarters was inaugurated with an Extraordinary General Assembly at 5 p.m., a meeting of the Deliberative Council at 7 p.m. and, at 8 p.m., a Vegetal session led by M. Carmiro Gabriel, attended by Mestre Pequenina, Mestre Herculano, Mestre Roberto Souto and some of Mestre Gabriel’s children and grandchildren.
On November 7, 2016, a Vegetal session celebrating the 10th anniversary of the AJGC was led by M. Clóvis Cavalieri, then General Representative Mestre.
Also in 2015–2018, the AJGC hosted at its headquarters the launch of the book Ser Mãe (“Being a Mother”), by M. Edson Lodi, with messages from Mestre Pequenina, on September 23, 2016, and the exhibition De Fortaleza a Brasília on March 25 and 26, 2017, a partnership between the DMC of Núcleo Fortaleza (Ceará), the regional DMC of the 1st Region and the AJGC.
Continuing the tradition and reaffirming the date of April 1, the AJGC held a Vegetal session on April 1, 2017, led by M. Carmiro Gabriel.
M. Raimundo Viana – M. Alex (2018–2021)
From 2018 to 2021, the AJGC was led by M. Raimundo Viana (M. Alex) as President and C. Jandira Gabriel as Vice-President, continuing the work of the previous administrations toward the Association’s goals.
On April 1, 2018, remembering the first time Mestre Gabriel drank the Vegetal, a Vegetal session was held at the AJGC headquarters, led by Mestre Donizete da Silva, Central Mestre of the 1st Region. On November 7, 2018, a fellowship lunch for members celebrated the Association’s 12th anniversary.
On April 1, 2019, 60 years after Mestre Gabriel first drank the Vegetal at the Gabriel outpost, a Vegetal session was held at the AJGC headquarters, led by C. Jandira Gabriel.
Besides celebrating the dates that matter to the AJGC, this administration adjusted and aligned its fundraising methods and administrative processes; improved the AJGC website; and strengthened partnerships, such as the Center’s support in appointing AJGC coordinators and monitors in the Núcleos and DAVs of the UDV, the partnership with the “Nossa Loja” online store to sell AJGC T-shirts, and the Association’s joining the Prosperar Association as an affiliated entity.
In 2019, a geologist’s survey confirmed that the Memorial building can be constructed on the Association’s land. During the same period, the AJGC received as a donation the neighboring lot to the right of its headquarters. In the second half of 2019 the donated lot was cleared and, on January 14, 2020, construction of the replica of the house where Mestre Gabriel lived began.