(Edited text from the website www.hinarios.blogspot.com)

Percília Matos da Silva, keeper of Mestre Irineu’s work and general-manager of his doctrine hinários started to drink Daime when she was still a child. When she became orphan of her father, still a girl, she went to live as Mestre’s daughter in his house. As she attests, later in life, in her last moment with the great leader:

“Then I asked for his blessing and he gave me a recommendation like he never had done before. I didn't understand it at all. I saw him so happy that I didn't suspect a thing. He recommended me to be very happy. I left in peace and happy. He was like my father, because he was the one who created me”

She studied, graduated as a teacher and married Raimundo Gomes in the 40s. The marriage didn’t work out and she went back to live in Mestre’s house until she found a new companion in the person of Mr. Pedro.

As of the responsible person to write down the hymns that formed the doctrine she became the hinários general-manager, thus having the responsibility of revising the received hymns; in other words, to correct them. Ms. Percília herself would question her own hymns, as shows a section of the interview conducted by Clodomir Monteiro concerning the hymn that presents her as Taio Ciris Midam:

Clodomir “Did you receive this hymn inside the miração?”
Percília “Yes, inside the miração...I had such a fever in that day!”
Clodomir “And was it an entity saying that to you?”
Percília “I listened to it but I didn’t see; I listened to the music....And when I realized I was already singing it”
Clodomir “That you were indeed this entity...”
Percília “Yes... Taio Ciris Midam...”
Clodomir “And everyone in Alto Santo recognizes that you really are Ciris Midam...”
Pedro (her husband) “Because Mestre himself acknowledged it... revised the hymn… your higher self...”
Percília “Yes, my higher self... then it means that I am of the same family... of Midam... isn’t that right?
Clodomir “You are linked to his other half...”
Percília “Yes... that’s correct”
Clodomir “Indeed, one is Jura and the other is Midam; the masculine and the feminine...”
Percília “It was revised together with Mestre...”

After Mestre's death she supported Padrinho Sebastião when of the creation of Cefluris and she carried out, while in that church, modifications in the farda (blue ties and white shoes for the male farda) that were former wishes of Mestre. Three years later she left the Cefluris, together with Daniel Serra, Luiz Mendes and others who did not accept some other ritualistic changes.

Despite eventually taking part in works, be it in the church of Tetéo, be it in the first aid center of Mr. Raimundo Lorêdo, she never returned to take charge in the conduction of the works as before. It was in a rare opportunity that I witnessed her in the church of Mr. Luiz Mendes, accompanying a work held in July 6th (Mestre’s passage), where Mestre's hinário was integrally sung (all the hymns, even the special ones), without dancing and with the same lines formation that were made, standing, when the deathwatch of 1971. She wouldn’t hold her tong about what she knew and what her thoughts were, in all her vehemence.

“Nobody should think that they learnt already. Whoever wants to learn is dedicated to the Daime. Prepare yourself and drink it. I am not going to say that everyone can reach it because ‘not everyone is in the grace’, as tells that hymn of Sebastião Mota”.

Eduardo Bayer

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Below are some extracts of Percília Matos da Silva’s account, also available, in the totality, in the section Personal Accounts.

The position that I had, given by Mestre's hands, was of the feminine battalion’s general commander and of the hinário’s general manager. I would conduct every hinário. When the male battalion wasn't quite right I would call the guardian. Everything was with me and until today this position of general commander is in my hands. He didn’t take it away. Everything that arrived in the colony (mission) passed through my hands. Mestre held much esteem for me and all the hymns that he received passed through me. He would say: “If it is not right you can ‘weed it’ (correct it).” But I never did that. He, by himself, would drink Daime to correct it.

I started to attend the session when my father met Mestre in 1934. I was about eight, nine years old. Together with Mestre were just about half dozen people: José das Neves, Zé Afrânio, João Pereira, the so called Zé Capanga, Maria Damião and Germano Guilherme; after this period is that Antônio Gomes arrived. Daddy died three years later, in 1937. I was the first born. Two weeks after my father's death Mestre said that my father had appeared five times in a miração to him. And my father said:

“Mestre, I walk in this God’s world and I see so many marvels, so many pretty things that I didn’t expect to exist, but when I think of you I try to visit you”
This way he came five times, until when Mestre asked,
“Ribeiro, what do you want from me? You can tell”
“Mestre, I want you to have more patience with my family than you had with me”
And Mestre said,
“It is done! Don’t you worry and follow your journey”
And he blessed his spirit.

During this period we lived in Vila Ivonete -- very close to Mestre. There wasn’t yet a headquarters and the ceremonies were held at his house, with that little group. Then he proceeded taking care of us. My mother, poor her, didn't have bearings, being illiterate and not knowing how to handle money. I was the one who had a little more knowledge, taking care of it. In this time, with eleven years old, I was already tailoring as a self employed. I started tailoring just for women, and later on for everybody.

He always called me as Ms. Percília, since I was little. One day daddy asked to him: “But why do you call a child as Ms.?” And he answered: “I do it in order to get used to it, because when she gets married I don't know if her husband is going to like if I call her Percília.”

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Percília Matos da Silva’s hinário
(wma. files and lyrics, from the website www.hinarios.blogspot.com)