The Descent of His Holiness’s Sacred Body to the Earth
CHURCH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IN THE WORLD THE TOCOISTS Remembered on July 25, 1949, By His Holiness Prophet Simão Gonçalves Toco EPISCOPATE HISTORICAL SUMMARY OF THE EXPULSION OF THE HOLY PROPHET SIMÃO GONÇALVES TOCO AND HIS FIRST FOLLOWERS FROM THE FORMER BELGIAN CONGO, AND OF HIS PHYSICAL DISAPPEARANCE AND THE DESCENT TO THE EARTH OF HIS SACRED BODY. His Holiness Father Mayamona; Beloved Deaconess Mother Feliciana Fernando Nunes; Honorable members of the body of the twenty-four Elders; Esteemed members of the Episcopate; Distinguished leaders of the Central Coordination of Men’s Ministry; Beloved Mothers of Women’s Ministry; Valiant youth of the Pastoral Youth Ministry; As always, we first address OUR GOD—Creator of Heaven and Earth; His Beloved Son, OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST—Savior of the world and of humanity; and the HOLY SPIRIT—our Guide and Consoling Strength. We thank them for allowing us to be here together to remember January 9, 1950, December 31, 1983, and January 10, 1984. These are historical dates that mark, respectively: the expulsion of the Holy Prophet and his first followers from the former Belgian Congo; the physical disappearance; and the descent into the heart of the earth of the Sacred Body of the Holy Prophet Simão Gonçalves Toco in Ntaya – Maquela do Zombo, Uíge province. To our distinguished guests and to all those who left their duties to come here and share in the remembrance of these three dates with us, we offer our heartfelt thanks. Beloved Brothers and Sisters; January 9, 1950 – The Expulsion of the Holy Prophet and his First Followers from the Former Belgian Congo January 9, 1950 – January 9, 2026: 76 years have passed since the government of the former Belgian Congo finalized the process of expelling the Holy Prophet Simão Gonçalves Toco and his first followers to Angola by train to Matadi—the border region with Angola (via Nóqui). This decision was carried out in two distinct moments: on January 9 and April 6, 1950, under the Decree of the Belgian colonial authorities dated December 8, 1949. The group expelled on January 9, 1950, initially composed of eighty-two (82) people, was destined for the Loge Valley Settlement in the municipality of Bembe. Their names are listed in the book Tocoist Encyclopedia – Genesis and Doctrinal Identity, page 112. This was followed by the expulsion of three other groups whose members can be found in the book Simão Toco: The African Prophet in Angola, pages 88, 89, and 90. These followers were sent to the city of Luanda, where they were divided into two subgroups; one remained in the nation’s capital, and the other was transferred to the city of Benguela. During these events, while still in the territory of the former Belgian Congo, a Belgian administrative official named Pirote dared to raise his hand against our Leader’s face. As a consequence, God took his life, and he died. With these expulsions, beloved brothers and sisters, the troubled life of the Holy Prophet and all Tocoists began across the entire national territory, marked by imprisonments, deportations, the shedding of much blood, and deaths (with some bodies thrown into mass graves), and so on. December 31, 1983 – The Physical Disappearance of the Holy Prophet Throughout the year 1983, His Holiness Prophet Simão Gonçalves Toco withdrew to his bed for spiritual reasons. Concurrently, his physical health began to decline sharply, and on December 21 of that year, he suffered a stroke (CVA). Consequently, and lamentably, on December 31, 1983, the worst and most unimaginable scenario occurred. At 3:00 PM, he took his last breath, preceded by a mighty wind and a strong whirlwind that struck and enveloped the walls of the house where he lived, causing the shaking and breaking of a perfume bottle that sat upon his nightstand. The news, which was shockingly unpleasant for all of us, spread as fast as the wind. No one believed it. We suddenly felt as if we were trapped in a dream whose nightmare would vanish upon waking. But as time passed and spirits calmed, what we sincerely wished was a dream slowly gave way to the harsh and repulsive reality: Uncle Simão, Father Mayamona, Our Leader, the Old Man, the One who called us and showed us the Path of Salvation found in Our Lord Jesus Christ, had just left us physically. The realization of this harsh reality left us with various scars and disturbances. In those first hours, we became unrecognizable to ourselves and recognized nothing. We felt like shadows of ourselves, and everything around us seemed like a shadow. Our consciousness and judgment vanished. No one felt like anyone. We were like a balloon without air. We were completely emptied. Slowly, like a phoenix reborn from the ashes, we began to stand up and lift our heads. After all, it was necessary to tend to the funeral rites and create conditions for a dignified burial. To that end, the Tocoist children, who had appeared divided, united their ideas and combined their efforts. This allowed for the essential conditions to implement the program for the wake and funeral. In Luanda, some defended the idea of His Holiness’s body being buried in the Sant’Ana or Alto das Cruzes cemeteries. However, God intervened through the Elder Domingos Quibeta, who had previously spoken with family members and First Pastor Cutendana João; it was decided that the Sacred Body of His Holiness would be buried in Sadi Zulumongo. This eventually took place in Ntaya, Maquela do Zombo, because the physical territory of Sadi Zulumongo was uninhabited. Subsequently, the then-young men Simão Fernando Quibeta, Francisco Domingos, and João Fernando were chosen to draft the funeral eulogy, based on the written history read by young Simão Fernando Quibeta during the 64th birthday celebration of the Holy Prophet Simão Gonçalves Toco, Father Mayamona. The reading of the eulogy was conducted by João Fernando in Luanda and Francisco Domingos in Ntaya. The funeral procession, which received the support of the Angolan government and was