Miraculous Zé Menino: tragedy, sublimation and devotion in unofficial Catholicism (Riachão, Jucurutu, 1937-2022)
Miraculous, unofficial devotion. Sertão.
In the middle of the dry land of the Sertão do Seridó, among the twisted branches of the caatinga, a peculiar form of devotion emerges. More precisely in the rural area of the municipality of Jucurutu, Rio Grande do Norte. Which is presented here as the object of analysis of this work. This devotion fits into the unofficial cults of Catholicism, since it is not intended for official saints, but for a subject who belonged to the studied community and who, when he died tragically, came to be understood and worshiped as a miracle worker. In this sense, we try to understand the process through which the miracle worker goes through, the status of sacred place that the place of his death receives, all this related to the debate about sertões and a possible so-called sertaneja religiosity. We will see through the oral sources the story of José Batista Serafim - Zé Menino, his death and sublimation, we will discuss the concepts of sertões, religiosities and unofficial devotions, around the miracle worker and his place of worship.