Marcelo Rossi

Marcelo Rossi
Religion	Roman Catholicism
School	Catholic Charismatic Renewal
Personal
Nationality	Brazilian
Born	Marcelo Mendonça Rossi 20 May 1967 (1967-05-20) (age 49) Sao Paulo, Brazil
Senior posting
Based in	Santuário do Terço Bizantino
Rank	Priest
Religious career
Ordination	1 December 1994
Website	www.padremarcelorossi.com.br

Marcelo Mendonça Rossi (born 20 May 1967 in São Paulo) is a Brazilian Catholic priest widely known and popular in the country for his novel approaches to ministering to the faithful. He is also a writer and a singer, and uses music intensely in his masses, has recorded several music CDs, is a host to several radio and TV programs in many stations, has appeared as an actor in two movies with religious themes. All of them have been big hits in the media, but Father Rossi donates all the proceedings to Catholic charities and to his own parish.

Early life

Father Rossi is based in São Paulo city, where he was born into a Roman Catholic middle-class family. He was raised in São Paulo neighborhood of Santana with his sisters Monica and Marta, his father, Antonio Rossi, who worked for many years as a bank manager, and his mother, Wilma, a housewife. At age 16 he decided not to attend church more, and at 22 graduated in Physical Education in the Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Around the same time he suffered a double shock: lost a cousin in a car accident and his aunt receive a diagnostic of a malignant tumor in the head. These two family traumas which caused him much pain and suffering, led him to the reunion with God and return to the Church by prayer groups of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Marcelo began to participate in the parochial activities and, a year later, inspired by a miniseries on the life of Pope John Paul II decided to dedicate himself to the priesthood. He made two faculties: Philosophy, at Universidade Nossa Senhora da Assunção and theology in the Faculdade Salesiana de Lorena. On 1 December 1994, he was ordained to the priesthood.

Sacerdotal ministery

As a priest, he became a phenomenon of the mass media culture in the late 1990. Marcelo Rossi began an intensive and enthusiastic work of preaching the Gospel, winning the faithful who attended his Masses in the Parish of Perpétuo Socorro e Santa Rosalia, in Santo Amaro, São Paulo. Due to the progressive and rapid increase in audience, the celebrations were carried out in increasingly larger spaces, until he get to use the Avenue of the United Nations in São Paulo and even football stadiums like Maracanã and the Morumbi, as "headquarters" of his masses and days of preaching and praise.

Rossi is the largest Christian artistic phenomenon in Latin America with over 11 million albums sold throughout his career. The priest Marcelo Rossi was well known by his dances and choreographies of Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) movement, and the publication of works (CDs, DVDs, film and television). Singing, dancing and doing choreography in crowded masses and TV shows, Father Marcelo Rossi aims to bring people to the message of Christ and the Church's teaching in an original way, modern and light. He has recorded nine albums since 1998, appears in TV programs on a regular basis, has a radio program with more than 100,000 viewers across the country and his church services in the open attract thousands of faithful. In 1998 he decided to enter into the music market, recording several songs live on a CD entitled "Músicas para Louvar ao Senhor" (and the Spanish version Canciones para alabar al Señor). In 1999 he released his second CD "Um presente para Jesus", and in 2000, "Canções para um Novo Milênio".

In 2001, he launched the album Paz, by Universal Music, being the eighth best selling album of that year and for this album Padre Marcelo Rossi was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2002. In 2002, he released an album entitled Anjos, by Sony Music, and was the fourteenth biggest-selling album of that year.^[1]

On 31 March 2002, the date of celebration of Easter, Father Marcelo Rossi was appointed Rector of the Santuário do Terço Bizantino in Jurubatuba – Santo Amaro, Sao Paulo state.

In 2003 he produced his sixth CD and recorded his first film, entitled "Maria, Mãe do Filho de Deus" which was a successful one^[2] In 2004 he produced his second film, "Irmãos de Fé" successfully similary.

2006 was marked by the release of the album Minha Benção by Sony BMG. It was the biggest selling album of that year, getting certified diamond and three platinum. The album Minha Benção was also the biggest selling album of 2007, and in the same year was released the album Momento de Fé para uma Vida Melhor, twelfth best selling album of that year. In 2008, two were the albums that reached positions among the top sellers, which call themselves, Paz Sim, Violência Não – Volume 1 and Paz Sim, Violência Não – Volume 2, reached the second and sixth position among the top sellers that year, and volume 1 was certified in 2008 as double platinum in 2009 was certified as triple platinum. In the same year the DVD Paz Sim – Violência Não (Volume 1) was the best-selling, according to the ABPD, and received double platinum certification.

On 21 October 2010 Father Marcelo received from the hands of Pope Benedict XVI the "Cardinal Van Thuan Prize – Solidarity and Development 2010" – in recognition of his dedication to Catholicism as modern evangelizer.^[3] In October 2011 Rossi opened on the southern outskirts of São Paulo, the church center with the largest Catholic church in Latin America. It can hold up to 100,000 people, 25,000 in the church with cantilever roof and 75000 on the outside area of the 30 hectare estate.

Currently the priest performs live at 6 am every Sunday Mass in Your Home transmitted by Rede Globo television, and at 09:00 am the Mass is transmitted by the site www.padremarcelorossi.com.br. Marcelo is also the Life Network every Saturday at 15 hours Mass Sanctuary Mother of God, and above station also features the Byzantine Rosary program. On Radio Globo runs from 9 to 10 hours from Monday to Saturday Faith Moment Program – considered by many journalists as an audience phenomenon of modern radio, with more than 3 million listeners / minute across the country. Padre Marcelo Rossi suffered an accident while doing exercises on a treadmill and had to lead the celebration of 9 May, on the banks of the Guarapiranga Reservoir, São Paulo, in a wheelchair because of the incident that made it impossible to set foot in floor. The rest of time required for recovery brought inspiration to write his recent books: "agape" with more than 10 million copies sold and the "Kairos" with more than 2 million copies sold, which reached record sales in Editora Globo's history^[4] and currently Rossi is in first place in the ranking of best-selling books in Brazil, according to Veja magazine.^[5] surpassing the "Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown and all the books of the saga "Twilight".^[6] All proceeds from the book are donated to the construction of the Santuário da Mãe de Deus Theotokos.^[7] He preaches at the Santuário do Terço Bizantino to enormous and enthusiastic crowds, and has promoted the use of the so-called Byzantine rosary for praying. In 2003, one of his masses, celebrated at soccer stadium, was held for the fourteen NASA astronauts who lost their lives in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster 17 years earlier on 28 January 1986 and the more-recent Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, and had more than 70,000 attendees.

Controversies

Opposition of traditional Roman Catholics

Father Marcelo Rossi is quite popular among Catholic charismatics and has been very important for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement in the Catholic Church in Brazil (the largest number of faithful in the world), which has lost in the last decades a significant number of adherents to the protestant evangelical churches.

In 1997, he met with the Pope John Paul II – the conversation concerned the need to find a way to stop Protestantism.^[8] By adopting some of the charismatic features of these churches, Father Rossi and his acolytes have been able to win back or at least to retain a part of his brethren. Traditional Catholics in Brazil, however, do not always approve these changes; Odilo Cardinal Scherer, the Archbishop of São Paulo and thus Rossi's direct superior, stated in reference to Rossi that "Priests aren't showmen... The Mass is not to be transformed into a show".^[9] During Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Brazil in 2007 Rossi was steered away from the pope, an experience he described as humiliating.^[10]

Jorge Lafond

In 2002 it was published by the press that the priest Marcelo Rossi would have asked the presenter Gugu Liberato that comedian Jorge Lafond was removed from the stage so he could present in an atypical situation, on 10 November 2002. Lafond had been invited to participate in the framework Men vs. Women in Domingo Legal program in SBT. Characterized as Vera Verão, Lafond was part of the female side of the dispute. Some press organs related that Lafond have been removed from the stage after a request of Father Marcelo Rossi, who will be present in a few minutes. While Lafond waited, backstage production insistently requested that the same return as the priest had left. However embarrassed and embittered the situation he did not return.^[11] In an interview to Revista Quem, Father Marcelo reported the incident and denied having discriminated Jorge Lafond and only became aware of the incident after his death.^[12]

False accusation of plagiarism of the song "Noites Traiçoeiras"

Marcelo Rossi was accused of plagiarism in 2009. Protestant websites reported the news that justice would have recognized the pastor and singer Marinalva Santos as the author of the song "Noites Traiçoeiras" recorded by the priest. The news said that all copyrights belong to the singer.^[13] However, the accuser became a defendant of a lawsuit filed by the representatives of the true author of the song, Carlos Papae, recognized by law as the true composer of the song.^[14]

Education and awards

• Degree in physical education from the Universidade de São Paulo in 1988
• Degree in philosophy from the Universidade Nossa Senhora da Assunção in 1990
• Degree in theology from the Faculdade Salesiana de Lorena in 1994
• Ordained priest in 1994
• Best Christian album indicated to the Latin Grammy with the CD "Paz" in 2002
• Cardinal Van Thuan Prize given by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010

Discography

Solo studio albums

Complete discography

• 1997 – Terço Bizantino
• 1998 – Músicas para Louvar ao Senhor
• 1998 – Canciones para Alabar al Señor (in Spanish)
• 1999 – Um presente para Jesus
• 1999 – Salmos (box with 6 CDs)
• 1999 – Salmos Temáticos
• 2000 – Millenium (collectanea)
• 2000 – Celebração da Vida
• 2000 – Canções para um Novo Milênio
• 2001 – Para Crianças (collectanea)
• 2001 – Paz
• 2002 – Sem Limite (collectanea)
• 2002 – Anjos
• 2003 – Maria, Mãe do Filho de Deus
• 2003 – Jesus é o Rei
• 2006 – Novo Millenium (collectanea)
• 2006 – Minha Benção
• 2006 – Sem Limite Nova Edição (collectanea)
• 2007 – Maxximum
• 2007 – Momento de Fé para uma Vida Melhor – Em 16 volumes:

* Momento de Fé – Volume 1 – (Depressão, Provações e Fé)
* Momento de Fé – Volume 2 – (Liberação do Vício, Paz e Harmonia do lar)
* Momento de Fé – Volume 3 – O Rosário
* Momento de Fé – Volume 4 – O Cerco de Jericó
* Momento de Fé – Volume 5 – A Via Sacra
* Momento de Fé – Volume 6 – (Ressentimento, Mágoa, Perdão)
* Momento de Fé – Volume 7 – (Paz, Proteção em Deus)
* Momento de Fé – Volume 8 – (Maldade Humana, Misericórdia divina)
* Momento de Fé – Volume 9 – (Amar a Deus Sobre Todas as Coisas e ao Próximo como a Si Mesmo)
* Momento de Fé – Volume 10 – (Anjos e Arcanjos)
* Momento de Fé – Volume 11 – (Avós, Pais e Filhos)
* Momento de Fé – Volume 12 – (Fanatismo, Discriminação, Tolerância)
* Momento de Fé – Volume 13 – (Influência dos Antepassados na Nossa Vida e Nossa Família)
* Momento de Fé – Volume 14 – (Crianças, Adolescentes, Jovens, Adultos, Terceira Idade)
* Momento de Fé – Volume 15 – (Dons de Santifição, Sabedoria, Entendimento, Conselho, Fortaleza, Ciência, Piedade, Santo Temor de Deus)
* Momento de Fé – Volume 16 – (Educadores, Professores, Catequistas)

• 2007 – Momentos de Fé para uma Vida Melhor Edição de Natal
• 2008 – Paz Sim, Violência Não – Vol.1
• 2008 – Paz Sim, Violência Não – Vol. 2
• 2011 – Ágape Musical
• 2012 – Ágape Amor Divino
• 2013 – Já Deu Tudo Certo – EP
• 2014 – O Tempo de Deus

Filmography

Televisão

• 2009 – A Turma do Didi (himself/special participation)

Movies

• 2003 – Maria, Mãe do Filho de Deus (Anjo Gabriel/himself) IMDb record
• 2004 – Irmãos de Fé (himself) IMDb record

Shows, clips, messages

• 2000 – Um Presente pra Jesus
• 2001 – Paz
• 2007 – Momentos de Paz para uma Vida Melhor Edição de Natal
• 2008 – Paz Sim, Violência Não – Vol.1
• 2008 – Paz Sim, Violência Não – Vol.2
• 2012 – Ágape Amor Divino

See also

• Catholic Charismatic Renewal
• List of best-selling albums in Brazil

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marcelo Rossi.

• Official website
• NPD Brasil