The death of Father Francisco Voskuil, sscc, was announced on the morning of Saturday, April 11, by the Dutch priests of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts. The priest was hospitalized in Breda Hospital, in the Netherlands, where he lived with other brothers of the Congregation.

Father Francisco was 92 years old and served as a missionary of the Sacred Hearts in Brazil for approximately 60 years. Also known as Father Vitorino, he served in the cities of Poá and Pindamonhangaba in São Paulo state and in the municipalities of Belo Horizonte, Araguari, Patrocínio, and Governador Valadares in Minas Gerais state, where he worked for almost 30 years at the Cathedral of Saint Anthony.

The priest, who would have celebrated 70 years of religious service in September of this year, resided in a community of nine older priests in a region of the Netherlands that has been heavily affected by the Coronavirus. This is the fifth death among priests in just over 30 days.