One day in 1956 Divaldo was feeling quite sad and decided to seek refuge to pray. "A Friendly Spirit" appeared to him and asked:
Source: "A Veneranda Joanna de Ângelis", from Celeste Santos and Divaldo Pereira Franco, Edited by LEAL.
- What is the reason for your suffering?
He opened his heart and mentioned all the pain that was diminishing him.
- What is your biggest grief? – The spirit asked.
- Not knowing the name of my guide.
- Divaldo, I am not your guide. As I have always told you, I am "a friendly spirit". I now ask you, what is more important: to have a friendly spirit or to know the name of someone who is not your friend?
- To have a friendly spirit, but I wanted to have both. Since you are a spirit, please tell me your name!
- You want a name. Oh well, on my last reincarnation I lived in a feminine body.
- What is your name?
- You can call me Joanna.
Divaldo was not happy with this revelation. He was not hoping for a feminine spirit. The name Joanna was also very common. Perhaps he was dreaming with a robust genie from Aladdin’s lamp to be his guide, who would have an ostentatious name; always available to attend his wishes...
Joanna noticed his disappointment and asked:
- Don’t you like my name?
- Of, yes I do Madam. Therefore, I wanted a more sonorous name...
- You can call me Joanna de Ângelis.
- Is this your name or is it a pseudonym?
- You wanted a name; here it is.
Divaldo was then able to see and listen to her every day. She would always appear dressed as a nun. Every morning she would write a short message through Divaldo.
She revealed herself to be as a mother to him, kind and dedicated.
One day she said to him: "You will now collect everything we wrote together up until here and burn. This material was nothing but a mere exercise. If Jesus allows, we will write again". Divaldo burned every message he kept inside his chest box, including a children’s story.
Joanna de Ângelis came back to write more through Divaldo; this time she showed profound wisdom. In 1964 Joanna de Ângelis selected several messages written by her and assembled them together to launch their first book: "Messe de Amor" (translated into English: Harvest of Love). This was the first book psychograhed by Divaldo.
Joanna has written more than 60 books through Divaldo Franco since, bringing us precious teachings of peace and wisdom.