Nazareno Lanciotti

When he settled in Jauru, an isolated locality situated on the border with Bolivia, Father Nazareno faced an extremely precarious reality: the village lacked electricity, running water, and schools. Without becoming discouraged, he traveled through the forest on muleback to reach the scattered populations. His pastoral and social action profoundly transformed the region: - Foundation of the parish: On October 12, 1976, he canonically erected the parish of Our Lady of the Pillar (Nossa Senhora do Pilar), of which he became the first pastor. - Rural communities: He founded 57 rural ecclesial communities throughout the territory and established daily Eucharistic adoration there. - Health and education: Observing the misery and the absence of medical care (the nearest hospital being 200 km away), he built a dispensary in 1974 that would become one of the most active hospitals in the region (Hospital Nossa Senhora do Pilar). He also created a school welcoming hundreds of poor children, offering them education and food, as well as a minor seminary to encourage local vocations. - Care for the elderly: He founded the asylum "Immaculate Heart of Mary" (Lar Imaculado Coração de Maria) to welcome the elderly and abandoned sick. In 1987, Father Nazareno met Father Stefano Gobbi, founder of the Marian Movement of Priests (MMP). He committed himself fully to this work and was appointed, in 1988, as the national leader of the movement for Brazil. In this capacity, he traveled tirelessly throughout the country to lead prayer cenacles and propagate the consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Father Nazareno's dedication to the poorest and his open struggle against the social scourges of this border region—notably drug trafficking, prostitution, and the exploitation of minors—aroused the hostility of local criminal networks and influential groups, including a local Masonic lodge. Despite repeated threats, he refused to abandon his mission. The evening of February 11, 2001, while he was dining in his rectory with collaborators, two armed and hooded men burst in. One of the assailants said to him: "We have come to kill you because you bother us too much" (translation of the words reported by the Fides agency: "We have come to kill you because you bother us too much"). The priest was seriously wounded by a gunshot to the head. Transported first to Cuiabá, then transferred to the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital in São Paulo, he endured ten days of agony. Before passing away on February 22, 2001, at the age of 60, he explicitly offered his forgiveness to his assassins. His death was immediately perceived by the faithful as a true martyrdom for faith and justice.

The cause for the beatification of Father Nazareno Lanciotti was officially opened in 2007. On April 14, 2025, Pope Francis officially recognized his martyrdom in odium fidei (in hatred of the faith), thus exempting the cause from the requirement of a miracle. The solemn beatification ceremony was celebrated on June 13, 2026, in Jauru, in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The celebration, which brought together thousands of the faithful and numerous bishops, was presided over by Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, Prefect Emeritus of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, acting as delegate of Pope Leo XIV. Father Nazareno Lanciotti thus became the first blessed martyr of the state of Mato Grosso. His liturgical feast is set for January 12 (the anniversary of his arrival in Jauru) or February 22 (the day of his birth into Heaven).

The spirituality of Blessed Nazareno Lanciotti rested on two fundamental pillars: the Eucharist and Marian devotion. He conceived his ministry as a total offering, lived in simplicity and fidelity to the Pope. His commitment within the Marian Movement of Priests deeply marked the Church in Brazil, making him the first member of this movement to be raised to the altars.

His legacy remains alive in Jauru through the structures he founded—the hospital, the school, and the home for the elderly—which continue to provide aid and comfort to the populations of the region. His tomb, located in the Our Lady of the Pillar parish in Jauru, has become an important place of pilgrimage.