Ilse Everlien Berardo
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Ilse Everlien Berardo (born 28 December 1955) is a German
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
theologian, responsible for the German-speaking Protestant Church on
Madeira Island Madeira is a Portuguese island, and is the largest and most populous of the Madeira Archipelago. It has an area of , including Ilhéu de Agostinho, Ilhéu de São Lourenço, Ilhéu Mole (northwest). As of 2021, Madeira had a total population o ...
. She is the first woman to become pastor of the Lutheran Church in Madeira, in 500 years of
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
presence on the island. She was ordained in July 2011, by the
Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
of
Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...
, Martin Hein.


Early life and education

Ilse Berardo was born in
Einbeck Einbeck (; Eastphalian: ''Aimbeck'') is a town in the district Northeim, in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, on the German Timber-Frame Road. History Prehistory The area of the current city of Einbeck is inhabited since prehistoric times. Vario ...
,
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
to Henny Everlien and Karl Everlien, an
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
. While in high school she volunteered as a Lutheran catechist in at the local parish, a role that she holds until she enrolls in
University of Marburg The Philipps University of Marburg () is a public research university located in Marburg, Germany. It was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Prote ...
in order to study
Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
, in 1974. Berardo graduates in 1981, having presented her bachelor's thesis to the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick () is a Lutheran church in the German states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. The seat of the Landesbischof (bishop) is Wolfenbüttel. Its district as a '' Landeskirche'' covers the former Free Sta ...
, in the city of
Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel (district), Wolfenbüttel Distri ...
.


Ministry

Ilse Berardo started out as a preacher of Madeira's Lutheran church in 1987 when the German-Speaking Evangelical Parish was established. At the time she had a special license issued by the bishop to officiate celebrations. While in Madeira Berardo has always been active at the local Lutheran church on a voluntary basis. The main dignitaries from the Lutheran Church in Portugal, as well as the Lutheran auxiliary bishop of
Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
, came to her ordination ceremony in recognition of her religious commitment to the local German community. As a Pastor, Isle is also known for her extensive network of ecumenical contacts in Madeira Island. The intensity of these well-established relations was demonstrated when representatives of the
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
Church, the
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
Church and the
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
Church in Madeira attended her ordination. Ilse has also celebrated several ecumenical masses along with the local Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches.


500 Years of the Reformation

As pastor of the German Evangelical Church in Madeira, Ilse Berardo participated in the celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the
Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
, promoted through a partnership between the German Evangelical Church in Madeira and the University of Madeira''.'' These celebrations were attended by the Vicar-General of the Diocese of Funchal, who officially represented Bishop António Carrilho. During the event, Ilse Berardo highlighted that the Reformation brought a change of mentalities that permeated various fields, particularly in education and in social rights, while stressing that "the
Christian Church In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus Christ. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a syn ...
as a whole needs even more unity" to respond to the challenges of modern life.


2019 Madeira bus crash

Following the
2019 Madeira bus crash On 17 April 2019, a tour bus carrying 56 people—mostly tourists from Germany—crashed in Caniço in Madeira, Portugal. At least 29 people were killed—18 women and 11 men—and 27 more were injured, including the Portuguese driver and tou ...
, Pastor Everlien Berardo was one of the first leaders of the German expat community living on the island to assist the injured once they got to the Central Hospital of Funchal. Ilse helped local authorities as interpreter and counselor. She would later participate in an ecumenical mass, together with Nuno I, Roman Catholic Bishop of Funchal, in a joint prayer for the mortal victims of the accident, organized by the Santa Cruz Municipality.


Family

Ilse married Jorge Sabino Rodrigues Berardo on June 18, 1982, therefore becoming sister-in-law to one of Portugal's richest men:
Joe Berardo José Manuel Rodrigues "Joe" Berardo GCIH, ComIH (born 4 July 1944), is a Portuguese and South African businessman, investor, and art collector. According to Portuguese magazine '' Exame'', he had an estimated net worth of €598 million in 2 ...
. She is a mother to two sons and one daughter,
Rubina Berardo Rubina Everlien Berardo (born 11 November 1982) is a Madeiran and Portuguese politician and pundit who was a Social Democratic Party (PSD) Member of the Assembly of the Republic for the constituency of Madeira between 2015 and 2019. Since Febru ...
, the latter was a member of the Portuguese Assembly of the Republic.


Honours

* Cross of the Order or Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (11 February 2022) for more than 30 years of services in providing support to every German citizen who asks for its help on the
island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berardo, Ilse Everlien 1955 births Living people People from Einbeck People from Funchal 21st-century German Protestant theologians 20th-century German Lutheran clergy German Lutheran theologians German emigrants to Portugal Women Lutheran clergy 21st-century German Lutheran clergy