Been born on December 13th, 1917 in São Luis do Ceará, Francisco Fernando Filho, mostly known as "Tetéu", son of Francisco Fernando Lima and Idalina Fernando dos Santos, came to Acre still young, with his parents and with his wife Chicuta. His parents, later on, went back to Ceará. With his first wife Tetéu had six children (Francisco, already deceased; Zeca; Quinca; Francisquinha; Maria; And Maria da Paz). When questioned the reason of his coming to Acre state, Tetéu would always keep the same answer, that he was brought by a superior force, which Mestre Irineu confirmed in his teachings telling that the Daime fishes who has a mission inside the doctrine.

Francisco Fernando Filho ended up living in the house of Mestre Irineu for about three years. But, during most of his life, his only companies during the week days were his great friends Maria and Chica Preta. It was with much pride that he would answer, to who asked if he was alone, that he lived with Maria (a cat) and with Chica Preta (a dog). (Edited text from Thiago Martins e Silva Hoff's research).

A photo portraying a solemn moment, where the fraternity was all gathered, during the funeral of Raimundo Irineu Serra, in the year of 1971, in Alto Santo. This formation in Mestre’s funeral was made by Mr. Daniel, which, according to him, was called by Mestre a day before his death, where he said: “No matter what happens, do not lose heart” (words of Mr. Daniel Serra). In Daniel's report, these words came to him at this time and he put the people in this formation (photo and text kindly sent by Mivan Gedeon, with the blessings of Daniel Serra).

According to part of Jairo Carioca's account, " During the remaining of the day and the whole night, from the 6th to the 7th of July, were sung the base hinários of the doctrine by him diffused. The emotions and the feelings of pain and sadness were visible, especially in the execution of the hymns that composed the hinario"O Cruzeiro". The semblance of each follower seemed to fluctuate on a fact that they never expected at that moment to happen. At dawn, after long hours of lectures and speeches from authorities and the center speakers, escorted by the military police band, in funeral tune, drawn-up in male and female lines, the battalion singing the New Hymns was heading to the last home chosen by Mestre, next to the residency of Leôncio Gomes da Silva, where his coffin was lowered to the grave wrapped by the national flag. The fraternity, moved, was giving its farewell to Mestre. The 81 years of history were marking that unforgettable moment; the mysteries and wonders of a life dedicated to kindness and companionship. A new chapter was open in the history of that people. Mestre now rests eternally laid in a splendid cradle, by the sound of the sea and by the light of the deep sky".

A photo taken by Américo de Mello during Mestre’s deathwatch, where the Alto Santo fraternity says farewell to their guide and patriarch. The first on the left, close to the coffin, is Raimundo Nonato (son of Padrinho Wilson Carneiro), and on the back, next to her mother Zulmira Gomes (lower) is Madrinha Peregrina, Mestre's widow (photo kindly offered by Eduardo Bayer, with the blessings of Daniel Serra).

The fraternity getting ready for Mestre’s last journey on earth, wrapped by the national flag. The first on the left is Daniel Serra, his nephew, who accompanied him back to Acre in 1957 (photo kindly sent by Mivan Gedeon, with the blessings of Daniel Serra).

Rare photo portraying a hinário service in the headquarters of Alto Santo, presumably in the 60s, where we can see Mestre Irineu sat down at the table together with the doctrine’s musicians. To the center, the Caravaca Cross, first symbol of the doctrine and in the back, on the wall, the CICLU's First Flag, received from the Virgin by Mestre. About the symbolism of the eagle on top of the moon, Francisco Grangeiro asked: “Mestre, what does the eagle on top of the moon mean?” To which Mestre Irineu answered: “Chico, what happens if you take off the accent from the word ‘eagle’?” (In Portuguese, the word for ‘eagle’ is ‘águia’. Without the accent it would be pronounced ‘a-guia’, which means ‘the guide’) – from the book ‘Contos da Lua Branca’ (Tales of the White Moon) by Florestan Neto.

A photo portraying two great friends: Raimundo Irineu Serra and Guiomar Santos. Fontenele de Castro was the responsible person for presenting to Guiomar dos Santos, Acre’s governor in that time, the spiritual leader of the community that later would be known as Alto Santo. “Since then it was established a partnership, a friendship that would last for life, between Mestre Raimundo Irineu Serra and Guiomar dos Santos, who was a governor, later on a federal deputy - the author of the project that created the Acre state, elevating Acre to the condition of a state -- and then being a Senator of the Republic. Whenever Guiomar came to Acre, already settled in Brasília [capital of Brazil], he would stay in Mestre’s house, spending there days and nights, having conversations, being great friends and doing many things together”, comments Antônio Alvez, a journalist from Acre (photo kindly sent by Mivan Gedeon, with the blessings of Daniel Serra).

Photo taken by Marco Imperial, portraying Padrinho Sebastião’s community gathered in Mapiá. "It was in 1982, and it was always a habit to have the people sat down, playing guitar. They would wake up early in the day, at 4:30am and soon they were in the plantations, but at five o’clock in the afternoon everybody would leave whatever they were doing to get ready and gather up to play and sing hinário. The community life was a constant and Padrinho lived in the middle of all and all around him. The daily Oração and the hinário studies was always the highlight of the day, where the Daime was not taken and the whole community remained together. Padrinho was actually a person who lived in community, his house was the community. The great accomplishment of Padrinho was that he managed to transform the community life into a reality, where everyone worked to all: one family; one single voice. It was during Christmas’ time" (edited text and photo kindly sent by Marco Imperial).

Photo taken by Marco Imperial in the Colônia Cinco Mil, who tell us: "I received as a gift from Mr. Adolfo Bloch an article in the Manchete magazine, who said that I could chose the headline. Then I spoke with the great Janir (Manchete’s Director) and said that I wanted was to do the article “Christmas in the Santo Daime”, and then I went to spend Christmas there. I called everybody to take a photo in front of the church. Juvenil de Souza, a great photographer and very close friend, asked me for an article’s storyline, and I sketched the first report of the Santo Daime published in great style. I put it all together and presented to him. He loved it; the magazine editors approved and did an article with several photos, giving a wonderful highlight to the article. In that time I said for him to ask Padrinho to take everybody outside of the church because of the light, and that it would be pretty to have the people gathered in front of the church" (edited text and photo kindly sent by Marco Imperial).

Mestre Raimundo Irineu Serra’s statue. On the back, his last residence and the current “Irineu Serra Memorial”, where can be found extensive material regarding his life and the doctrine that he left us - Vila Irineu Serra - Rio Branco / Acre, on July 14th of 2007, during the commemoration of the 70 years of Madrinha Peregrina Gomes Serra (Photo by Juarez Duarte Bomfim).

Mestre’s sister, Mrs. Maria Matos, mother of Daniel Serra. In the photo she is next to Mrs. Otília, wife of Daniel, and her daughter Maria. Mrs. Maria Matos, affectionately called “Vó Cota” [grandma Cota], from “mariacotinha” (a diminutivelargely used in the countryside of Maranhão), ended up drinking Daime and even living in Rio Branco after Mestre’s passage. She had the grace of receiving two hymns, one of them often sung at the center of Luiz Mendes. It is very short, but very significant... “My little blue boat / all adorned with flags / With divine power / I am already cured”. The other hymn very few people remind of (photo taken from the family album of Daniel Serra, kindly sent and commented by Mivan Gedeon). Juarez Duarte Bomfim also tells us, moved, when seeing this photo: “Vó Cota -- sister of Mestre Raimundo Irineu Serra -- was taken by Daniel Serra, her son, to know the sacred land of Alto Santo and there she remained residing (in Rio Branco - Acre). It is told that in daily visits to Mestre’s grave she would engage in long conversations with him, Mestre Irineu. Whoever passed by the highway at the end of the afternoon, in front of Mestre’s mausoleum, would find her in a happy conversation with the invisible. The modest hymn received by her today has the grace of closing the Cure and Calling’s work of Padrinho Luiz Mendes, occasions when Saturnino Mendes tells a little of the life of this gracious old lady”.

Luiz Mendes do Nascimento delivers a speech in the Solemn Opening of the Raimundo Irineu Serra’s Centenary Festivities in Alto Santo [CICLU - a dissidence that happened after Mestre's passage], in December 1992. From left to right, standing in front of the flagstaff are: Walsírio Genésio Da Silva (Valsírio Serra, Mestre Irineu’s son), Padrinho Wilson Carneiro de Souza, Luiz Mendes do Nascimento (at this time president of the CICLU), Mestre Conselheiro Antônio Geraldo da Silva (first successor of Daniel Pereira de Mattos in Vila Ivonette), Padrinho Alex Polari de Alverga and Padrinho Alfredo Gregório de Mello (photo and subtitles generously sent by Eduardo Bayer / Arca da União - comment in between brackets by Rodrigo Tavares).

The Santo Daime fraternity gathered in front of the shed especially built for the festivities of Mestre Irineu’s Centenary in December 1992, at the center founded by Padrinho Tetéu, waiting the national anthem execution solemnity and the hoisting of the flags (photo kindly sent by Eduardo Sampaio, subtitles by Eduardo Bayer).

The first-born son of Mestre Irineu, Mr. Walsírio, prepares to hoist the homeland flag of his father, the Maranhão state, having on his right Madrinha Rizelda Brito to hoist the Brazilian flag and her husband on the far right, Padrinho Luiz Mendes, to hoist the Acre’s flag (photo kindly sent by Eduardo Sampaio, subtitles by Eduardo Bayer).

Bailado of Mestre Irineu’s hinário in the Centenary festivities: Side by side in the first line of the women we see Graça Souza, Gilda Guilhon, Telma, Dodô, Sílvia Melo, Maria das Neves Melo, Júlia Gregório and Maria Tôca (photo kindly sent by Eduardo Sampaio, subtitles by Eduardo Bayer).

Bailado of Mestre Irineu’s hinário in the Centenary festivities: Side by side in the first line of the men we see Veríssimo, Nonato Teixeira, Lúcio Mortimer, Alex Polari and José Mota, everybody beating the maraca in the hand, in accordance with the bailado tradition (photo kindly sent by Eduardo Sampaio, subtitles by Eduardo Bayer).