A court decision in the city of Patrocínio, Minas Gerais, Brazil, has upheld the religious freedom of a Seventh-day Adventist teacher, ruling against salary deductions imposed for her absence from Saturday activities.

Teacher Wemylle Alves, who works at Tereza de Castro Mariano State School and Serra do Salitre State School in the city of Serra de Salitre, had faced salary deductions after her requests to make up classes on days other than Saturday were denied. For Seventh-day Adventists, Saturday is observed as the biblical Sabbath, a day of rest and worship.

After experiencing repeated losses, Alves sought support from the Adventist Church’s Legal Department, which filed a lawsuit on her behalf.

“We are always willing to guide and help our members in situations like this,” said Dr. Daniel Aragão, the Church’s lawyer for the central region of Minas Gerais. “We have the justice system on our side and will always seek it to assert the right to religious freedom when necessary.”

The presiding judge granted an injunction, recognizing that the school administration’s actions violated the freedom of belief guaranteed under Article 5, Section VIII of Brazil’s Federal Constitution, and conflicted with jurisprudence established by the Supreme Federal Court (Theme No. 1021, ARE 1,099,099).

In his ruling, the judge noted that “the teacher was not even offered any alternative services, which aggravated the violation of her rights.” The Department of Education has been ordered to present, within 10 days, a schedule of complementary or supplementary activities to ensure Alves can continue teaching without financial penalty.

Defense of Freedom

For Alves, the ruling brought both relief and gratitude.

“At first, it was difficult. I felt wronged and even discouraged at times, as I was just trying to balance work with my faith. But today I feel enormous relief and immense gratitude for having this right respected. The court’s decision confirms to me that God cares for those who remain steadfast in their faith,” she said.

The ruling restored Alves’s rights and, according to church leaders, reinforces constitutional protections for religious freedom in Minas Gerais.

The original article was published on the South American Division Portuguese news site.