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Students Attend Umbanda Religious Ceremony with Prof. Penglase in Brazil

On Saturday, November 11, Prof. Ben Penglase, who is teaching in a USAC study-abroad program in Florianópolis, Brazil, took students in his Culture of Brazil class to an Umbanda religious ceremony at the Ilê de Xangô center.  Two of the center's priests, Babalorixá Tacques de Xangô and Mãe Diovana, gave a short talk about the African roots of the Brazilian religions Candomblé and Umbanda. During the ceremony, some of students - who included Loyola students Zach Holloway (International Studies major), Bella Lee (International Studies major), Mike O'Donnell (Anthropology major), Kerry Snider (Sociology-Anthropology major) and Colleen Wimmer (Anthropology minor) - were able to consult with devotees who incorporated the spirits of Pretos Velhos (Old African Slaves), asking the spirits for advice and receiving their spiritual cleansing.