Eustáquio van Lieshout

His first years of ministry took place in his native country. He was first appointed assistant to the novice master, then vicar in the parishes of Maassluis and Roelofarendsveen. In Maassluis, he devoted himself to the many Belgian refugees who had fled the German invasion of 1914. His pastoral zeal and dedication earned him a decoration from the Belgian State (made a Knight of the Order of Leopold). In December 1924, his superiors sent him to Spain to learn the language, with the initial plan of sending him on a mission to Uruguay. Eventually, he was redirected to Brazil. He landed in Rio de Janeiro on May 12, 1925. His missionary work in Brazil spanned eighteen years and was divided into three major stages: Água Suja (today Romaria) from 1925 to 1935, where he built the sanctuary of Our Lady of the Abbey and distinguished himself as the father of the poor and the sick; Poá from 1935 to 1941, where his reputation as a miracle worker attracted immense crowds; and finally Belo Horizonte from 1942 to 1943, where he laid the foundation stone of the Church of the Sacred Hearts. He passed away on August 30, 1943, in Belo Horizonte, struck down by epidemic typhus.

The reputation for holiness of Father Eustáquio never waned after his death. The diocesan process for his canonization was opened in 1956 under the direction of Father Alfredo Elfrink, vice-postulator of the cause. After a twelve-year interruption following the Second Vatican Council, the cause was officially reopened in 1983 at the request of Archbishop João de Resende Costa. On March 19, 1987, Father Eustáquio was recognized as a Servant of God. On April 12, 2003, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, conferring upon him the title of Venerable. The miracle accepted for his beatification is the scientifically inexplicable healing from cancer. In May 1962, Father Gonçalo Belém Rocha, a priest from Belo Horizonte then 39 years old, was diagnosed with a malignant tumor of the larynx. Facing a major surgical operation, he requested the intercession of Father Eustáquio. On the eve of the procedure, medical examinations revealed the total and sudden disappearance of the tumor. This miracle was officially approved by a decree of Pope Benedict XVI on December 19, 2005.

The beatification ceremony of Father Eustáquio van Lieshout took place on June 15, 2006, the day of the solemnity of Corpus Christi, at the Mineirão stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The celebration was presided over by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, representing Pope Benedict XVI, before an assembly of more than 80,000 faithful. His liturgical memorial is set for August 30, the day of his birth into Heaven. His mortal remains, initially buried in the Bonfim cemetery, were transferred in 1949 to the Sanctuary of Health and Peace (Santuário da Saúde e da Paz) in Belo Horizonte, where they are the object of fervent popular devotion.

The spirituality of Blessed Eustáquio was deeply Eucharistic and Marian, shaped by the charism of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts. His entire life was guided by his personal motto: 'For me the work, for the neighbor the utility, for the Sacred Hearts the honor and the glory.' Nicknamed the 'Missionary of Health and Peace' (Missionário da Saúde e da Paz), he was in the habit of greeting and blessing the faithful with these two simple words: 'Saúde e Paz.' He conceived his ministry as a work of integral healing, combining the care of souls with that of bodies. He used his knowledge of natural medicine to relieve the most destitute sick, while taking care to purify popular piety of superstitions. His legacy remains alive in Brazil and the Netherlands, where he is venerated as a model of pastoral charity and closeness to the suffering.