A man sent by God

He arrived unnoticed, just like everyone else, as God always does. He went straight to a place almost hidden in the vastness of his destination, Brazil. Água Suja was the place chosen for him, in the interior of Minas Gerais, in the Triângulo Mineiro region, where the contrast between misery and the fleeting fortune of gold mining was striking. On the banks of the Bagagem River, which a few kilometers downstream had yielded the famous "Star of the South" stone, the small village, formed around the old Sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady of the Abbey, received a true "diamond," still unpolished, a man truly of God.

Fortune and misery

The gold miners risked their lives in search of a fortune based on fleeting dreams, but the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts sent three of its missionaries among those suffering people; one of them was Father Eustáquio, who had a clear destiny: to seek out the glaring misery of those brothers and sisters to reveal to them the true treasure of God, which is alive in every heart. This would be the beginning of the transformation of hearts into true worshippers in spirit and in truth, establishing the Kingdom of the Father's Merciful Love. A difficult mission, but not impossible for God.

The work of God

Born in the Netherlands in 1890, he came to Brazil in 1925, forming a community with two other brothers, priests of the Sacred Hearts, that would grow and spread throughout the country. It was the "Work of God" being carried out among us. The harsh reality of life, the hardships, the obstacles and opposition began to polish the precious stone of his missionary heart. He would be taken to many other places before his journey ended.

From Água Suja, Father Eustáquio was taken to Poá in São Paulo, where his reputation for holiness exploded with uncontrollable force, due to the numerous and impressive healings and conversions that occurred wherever he went. A true missionary, he did not stop in Poá. He was present wherever the Church requested him. From São Paulo he went again to the Triângulo Mineiro region with a brief stay in Rio de Janeiro and, finally, Belo Horizonte, his last destination.

The name and the mission

As can be seen in the Bible, the names given to a person define their mission. Little by little, Father Eustáquio, shaped by suffering and led by God from one place to another, from heart to heart, seeing the life-giving and saving power of God flow through his ministry, began to understand through events what mission God had entrusted to him. He went through profound doubts in the depths of his heart. He suffered misunderstandings from countless people. But he always trusted in God.

In the prime of his life, two years before his death, he was able to express himself thus: “This is the vocation I feel within me: to alleviate bodily suffering so that I may revive the shaken faith of our times. (…) I have never been as aware as I am today of how much, through the grace of God, I can achieve for those who suffer… The Good God has visibly shown me the path to take.” And he summarized his name and his mission in two words: “HEALTH AND PEACE.” “Health for your bodies and peace for your souls,” as he used to bless.

Fr. Lúcio Dumont Prado, ss.cc.
Vice-Postulator (1997-2008)

Virtual Reading

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