Dom Serafim Fernandes de Araújo was born in the small town of Minas Novas, in the Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais, on March 13, 1924. At the age of 12, he moved to Diamantina, where he entered the seminary. After graduating from high school, he was invited to study in Rome, where he graduated and was ordained a priest. In Brazil, he served in parishes and chaplaincies until becoming a bishop in 1959, coming to Belo Horizonte to be an auxiliary bishop to Dom João Resende Costa. Dom Serafim, who already knew the spirituality of Father Eustáquio through his family's devotion, was then able to participate more actively in the Beatification/Canonization process that had just been opened.
The young bishop's enthusiasm made him one of the most responsible figures for the recognition of Father Eustace's life and history. In the 1950s, Fr. Alfredo Elfrink, ss.cc, as the first vice-postulator for the Cause, was tasked with gathering a multitude of documents to petition the Vatican to open the Beatification/Canonization process for Father Eustace. His work with the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of the time was tireless, until the Church, in 1956, opened the process. It was then necessary to take significant steps in the pursuit of recognition for the heroic deeds and virtues of the Dutch priest… and Dom Serafim was fundamental.
Among the documents attached and sent to the Vatican after this period is one of the most important statements in the process, and it belongs to Bishop Serafim. It is an account from someone who experienced the power of Father Eustáquio's intercession:

 “One Thursday morning, Father Gonçalo Belém Rocha asked Dom João and me to receive him. He was saying goodbye to us, as he had been diagnosed with throat cancer. We were distraught. Father Belém wept, and we both wept with our friend and son. That's how we said goodbye. Dom João looked at me, I looked at Dom João, and an inspiration came to me. I said: 'Dom João, let's go up to the Chapel and expressly and fervently ask God that, through the intercession of Father Eustáquio, He may cure Father Belém.' We spent a few minutes praying. And we placed that priest in the hands of Father Eustáquio, whose canonization process we had recently begun. During the operation on Monday, something unthinkable had happened. The doctors looked at each other, but the X-ray confirmed 'there was nothing to be removed' – someone had arrived first!… Father Belém lived for another 50 years. A saint is a saint, a whirlwind of God.‘ "That no one can stop.".

In 2003, Pope John Paul II recognized the heroic virtues of Father Eustace, and in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI included the Venerable Servant of God, Father Eustace, in the list of the Blessed. These events occurred due to the commitment, dedication, and study of many people, especially Cardinal Dom Serafim; therefore, our gratitude to this great devotee, enthusiast, and promoter of the Canonization process of Father Eustace!
The Cardinal emphasized the importance of communicating the message of Health and Peace of Blessed Father Eustace to new generations. Thank you, Dom Serafim, for your example! Help us keep this flame burning!