Meet Antonio Pedro de Rosa



There are many quiet heroes that we pass on the 'sidewalk of life'.  Perfect strangers whom when noticed... may turn into the gentle reminders of the lessons for which we pray to understand... for every once in a while we are blessed to see through their eyes for just a moment and we come away with increased vision.

We met Brother and Sister Rosa (Antonio Pedro de Rosa and Lucia Freire Monteiro) on the Island of Santiago.  They were kind to sit and visit with us following a great conference.  He was ordained to the Melchezidek Priesthood and will serve in the high council.  Our visit was on the day the first stake was formed in Cabo Verde. 



Antonio Pedro da Rosa worked for the Independance of Cabo Verde in the 1970s.  He was concerned for the youth and knew that life would be better for them if they gained independence.  He was the leader of a group of 15 young men.  His cousin from Portugal turned out to be a spy bent on destroying the group.  His cousin came under the guise of helping them get on a boat 'Perola do Oceano' to another island to get more help and then took them a different direction and into the hands of the portugal policia.  His story is intriguing, very sad, and inspiring, all at once. 

For almost 4 years he was put into prison to sleep on a cement floor with mosquitoes, bad food, and no covers. There was a hole in the floor for the bathroom in the very small (one car garage) sized room which he shared with 16 other people and they were tortured repeatedly.  There are many details that he keeps inside.  I felt like crying at the ones he told us. When finally, the dictator of Portugal was changed, they were released. 

Now when they celebrate the independance of Cabo Verde he is a prominent figure and has his name on a plaque in Tarrafal where the prison is now a museum of sorts to the memory of this group of young men and to all of those who helped gain the independence the Cabo Verdians savor.  

To meet Brother Antonio, you'd just think he is a quiet kind man who likes to help keep the church yards clean and the weeds pulled in the gardens there.   He was a elementary school teacher and later worked in the administration of a high school and is happy that the Cabo Verdian children can get a good education.

Brother Antonio quietly gives the credit to God for his life and his blessings.