Raimundo Irineu Serra, also known as Mestre (Master) Irineu, (December 15, 1892 São Vicente Ferrer, Maranhão, Brazil - July 6, 1971) was the founder of a syncretic religion known as Santo Daime. Irineu was raised Roman Catholic. He later moved to the state of Acre where he worked on rubber plantations. In the city of Brasiléia, which is close to the border of Bolivia, he was in contact with other people from his home state of Maranhão as well as Bolivians, from whom he learned the use of ayahuasca. In these early experiences he encountered the Virgin Mary (the Queen of the Forest) and began receiving the guidance which developed into a religious doctrine throughout the remainder of his long life.[1] Santo Daime teachings emphasize hymns and calls that guide participants during the sacramental drink's communion, aiding in self-awareness and individual character refinement across social, emotional, and spiritual spheres. The practice is predominantly Christian and includes deities specific to the Queen of the Forest's battalion, with prominent figures like the Caboclos of Tucum, and revolves around central deities represented by Jesus Christ, Our Lady of Conception, Patriarch Saint Joseph, and Saint John the Baptist.[2]
Mestre Irineu, the son of the former slave Sancho Martino and Joana Assunção, arrived in the state of Acre in 1912 at the age of nineteen. As a tall Afro-Brazilian, he joined the migration movement related to latex extraction in rubber plantations. In 1912, he moved to Manaus, residing at the Porto de Xapuri for two years. He then worked in the rubber plantations of Brasiléia for three years and later in Sena Madureira for another three years. Returning to Rio Branco, Mestre Irineu served in the territorial Guard, rising to the rank of Corporal. He then passed an examination to join the Commission of Limits, a federal entity tasked with defining borders between Acre, Bolivia, and Peru. This commission was led by Marshal Rondon, who appointed Irineu as the Treasurer of the Troop, a position of trust. Later, Mestre Irineu returned to the forest and the rubber plantations, where he met and befriended Antonio Costa.[3]
The experience was a divine revelation from the Virgin Mary, who appeared as the Queen of the Forest. Irineu was tasked with founding a spiritual doctrine, a syncretism based on the consecration of a drink consumed for thousands of years, set within Christian culture and symbolism, while simultaneously incorporating Indigenous, Brazilian, African, and Eastern transcendental wisdom. In 1930, he established a community center where he initiated the Santo Daime church. Consequently, Mestre Irineu and his doctrine faced prejudice and persecution due to the predominance of Afro-descendants among his followers and the fear held by the elites of the time towards traditional movements of Afro-Indigenous origin, like Santo Daime.[4]
In 1945, Mestre Irineu's companions acquired land and established a community named 'Alto Santo'. Irineu began to channel messages from the spiritual dimension in the form of simple hymns, which became the guiding principle of the doctrine. He became renowned for assisting those interested in his spiritual work and also evolved as a spiritual healer, especially in cases where conventional medicines were ineffective, and suffering seemed endless.
The Daime church revolved around Mestre Irineu. By 1971, when he transitioned to the spiritual realm, he was already known as 'Mestre Império'. After Mestre Irineu's passing, some of his disciples decided to expand the doctrine. Due to disagreements, a group of daimistas, including Sebastião Mota de Melo and Francisco Fernando Filho, decided to establish their own churches, which became independent from Alto Santo.[5]
Sebastião Jaccoud, a companion of Mestre Irineu, mentioned that "Mestre Irineu, being Jesus Christ, came to reintroduce the Holy Doctrine." He also stated that Mestre Irineu "corrected prayers like the Lord's Prayer that he had taught as Jesus Christ to humanity, but which was altered by various religious groups who proclaimed themselves owners of God's word after the crucifixion."[6] For some followers, Mestre Irineu is considered to be Daime itself.[7]