Father Eustáquio's presence remains alive and present in the hearts of many who knew him or have come close to his witness and his work. His tomb in Belo Horizonte, in the new Memorial Shrine of Health and Peace, continues to attract large numbers of people every day. Children, teenagers and young students, before or after going to the schools that bear his name, kneel or make a hasty sign of the cross saluting their beloved patron.

In Belo Horizonte, in the shops and in many homes, we find his picture with that clear, firm and penetrating gaze. Grateful for the many graces they have received, parents honor the Blessed by naming their children Eustáquio, Eustáquia and many compounds such as Humberto Eustáquio, José Eustáquio, Maria Eustáquia, among many others. His living message expresses attention to the sick and the poor as the hallmark of a whole life lived following Jesus. A life of consecration to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary through daily adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist, thus nourishing its missionary ideal and communicating what it knows and experiences: God is Love! Fathers and mothers, or the sick and suffering all: the unemployed, people in need, but always full of faith, hope and gratitude cry out:

[blockquote footer=””]“Pray for us, Father Eustace, watch over us with love. We trust in your goodness, with God as our intercessor.”[/blockquote]

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[accordion title=Family of Mr. Guilherme and Mrs. Elizabete]Father Eustace van Lieshout was born in Aarle Rixtel, Netherlands, on November 3, 1890. He came from a large and very religious family. Of the nine children, in addition to Father Eustace, three of his sisters also followed religious vocations. His parents were Mr. William and Mrs. Elizabeth. He was baptized on the same day he was born. In 1901, he received his First Communion and was confirmed in 1904. Approaching his 15th birthday, in 1905, he entered the Seminary of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts.

[accordion title=Saint Damian inspires his missionary ideal]The youth of his region were impressed by the heroic witness of their fellow countryman from the Brabant region, which is divided between the south of the Netherlands and the north of Belgium. The family homes of the two missionaries are just over 110 km apart. From a young age, the future Father Eustace knew of his adventures and heroism, but in his adolescence, reading the life of Saint Damien of Molokai captivated him so much that from then on his great dream was to be a missionary like the "apostle of the lepers". In 1915, the young Eustace professed the Vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, becoming a religious of the Sacred Hearts like his hero: Saint Damien of Molokai. In 1919, he received priestly ordination. He served the People of God in the Netherlands in various missions. He distinguished himself so much that he received a decoration from the King of Belgium for services rendered to Belgian refugees because of the First World War. [accordion]

[accordion title=Father Eustáquio, missionary]In 1925 his missionary ideal was realized. He was one of the three founders of the first community of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts in Brazil, in Romaria, in the Triângulo Mineiro region. From 1925 onwards, the first three Religious of the Sacred Hearts established themselves in the cities that at that time belonged to the then Diocese of Uberaba: Father Gil van den Boogaart, Father Matias van Rooy, and Father Eustáquio van Lieshout, who was the builder of the new Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Abbey of Água Suja, in the current city of Romaria-MG. In 1926, they founded the Regina Pacis College in Araguari-MG, and in 1927 the Dom Lustosa Gymnasium in Patrocínio-MG. The first directors were Fathers Gil and Matias respectively.[/accordion]

[accordion title=Help us, Our Lady of the Abbey!]Father Eustáquio lived in Romaria-MG from 1925 to 1935, also serving the parishes of Indianópolis-MG and Iraí de Minas-MG. Builder of the current Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Abbey of Água Suja, he was transferred to São Paulo despite protests from his parishioners. The parish priest enjoyed such high esteem among his faithful that when he was transferred they even besieged the rectory and blocked the town's roads, tearing up the cattle grids. Even so, to fulfill his new obligation, he set off on foot until he crossed the boundaries of Água Suja.

[accordion title=The Vicar of Poá]Father Eustáquio was parish priest in Poá-SP from 1935 to 1941 at the Nossa Senhora de Lourdes parish. Like Jesus, the Good Shepherd, he gave his life for his parishioners: a special affection for the sick and suffering. He built a grotto in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes and made available holy water mixed with water that he himself had brought from France on his pilgrimage to Lourdes during his vacation in Holland in 1935.

Father Venâncio Hulselmans, SS.CC. His companion and first biographer, in his 1944 book "The Vicar of Poá," recounts that "parish work continued with the greatest regularity, because the pilgrims only sought holy water and nothing more. Father Eustáquio came and went without the slightest difficulty; he went with the parishioners to Aparecida do Norte, took them, as was customary, to adoration at the Church of Santa Efigênia, in short, he did everything he used to do, without attracting special attention. Gradually, however, with the growing fame of the water, which brought health wherever it was used, the pilgrims were no longer content to just take the water, but wanted to see the priest, speak with him, ask him personally for a blessing, both for themselves and for the water. Kind by nature, Father Eustáquio attended to both in the visiting room. The stories of illnesses and misfortunes he heard moved his ever-compassionate heart, and, consoling and comforting, he always ended with a blessing." "Personally, advising the use of holy water." In Poá-SP, reports of "miraculous" cures began, causing a large influx of people.

The small town couldn't accommodate the large number of faithful who sought him out daily. In the same book by Father Venâncio, we can find "a quick summary of 'cures' sent by beneficiaries to Radio Excelsior in São Paulo: 1) I had a very difficult wound on my leg that was going on for a year and it hurt a lot. I had already been to the doctor and had already used many medicines. But God helped me and I heard about this dear priest from Poá, I got up at dawn and went to take the first train that went there. It was half past five in the afternoon and my number hadn't arrived yet, it was 10,000. At six o'clock I got on and he said: wash with this water and pray to St. Joseph.".

1) I instantly witnessed a great miracle, I shouted to everyone in my house so they could see the great miracle received from Father Eustáquio, by the will of God. São Paulo, October 19, 1943. – Maria de Orio. 2) My daughter Alayde had been suffering horribly for 4 years with neuralgia in her head, which cost me an exorbitant amount of money. With great difficulty, I managed to get close to him in the middle of the crowd and, with complete confidence, place his hand on my daughter's head, and she was radically cured.

São Paulo, October 20, 1943. – Mariana Marcondes Vieira

“These events, among dozens of others, spread and turned the parish house of Poá upside down. And the worst was yet to come. On March 4th, the first reporters from “O Diário da Noite” appeared on the scene, and on the same day, through colossal headlines and extensive photographic documentation, the general public learned that “IN POÁ THERE WAS A PRIEST PERFORMING MIRACLES”. This example, soon followed by other newspapers that daily, in sensational reports, meticulously recounted yet another miraculous cure by the “SAINT OF POÁ”, took the movement to fantastic proportions in the small town. The newspapers attracted the population of the entire state and even many pilgrims from other states.”

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[accordion title=Exile]The solution found by his superiors was to remove him from the parish starting on May 13, 1941. Civil and religious authorities determined his exile to a farm in the city of Rio Claro-SP, and the change of his name to Father José, which he accepted, demonstrating obedience and humility. Once again he was discovered, the farm was invaded by hundreds of people, and the situation became increasingly difficult. Discovered, he began a pilgrimage through various places such as Campinas-SP, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, and São Paulo-SP. His charisma and gifts, the strong call to conversion, his courageous preaching, and the ritual blessings of healing attracted crowds. The fame of holiness of the "Vicar of Poá" spread throughout the country. The uncontrollable situation became a problem even for public health and safety wherever he went.[/accordion]

[accordion title=Patrocínio and Ibiá]Father Eustáquio was forbidden from working in all the major centers of Brazil. He could live in one of the Congregation's houses in the interior. His refuge became the convent of the priests in Patrocínio-MG, in what was then the D. Lustosa Gymnasium, from October 13, 1941. The chapel of Santa Luzia was his field of work, but with serious restrictions. He could only attend to people and give blessings in the confessional, where he would spend seven to eight hours a day. Without complaint, Father Eustáquio accepted all the conditions. In Patrocínio, he experienced renewed vigor. But he only stayed there for four months, from October 1941 to February 1942. He himself wrote in December 1941: “I went to attend the retreat and had the happiness of being able to intensely attend to my own soul and especially recommend the intentions that so many people ask of me. Thanks be to God, every day I see some conversions. People who for years and years lived far from God and the Church, I see returning to the arms of our Divine Master. How much the Heart of Jesus must overflow with true joy! And I feel no less happy with so many spiritual resurrections. Winning souls, alleviating pain and suffering, that is my great ideal, inspired by God!” The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts was called to assume a new mission. The superior, Fr. Gil, believed that the new mission required someone like Father Eustáquio and appointed him to Belo Horizonte-MG as parish priest. Before leaving for the capital of Minas Gerais, he was sent as a temporary parish priest to the city of Ibiá-MG, where he stayed for less than two months, but he left behind the project for the Santa Casa (hospital) that today bears his name. After his arrival in Ibiá, the entire surrounding area of Araxá, São Gotardo, Campos Altos, Tiros, Pratinha… sought him out.

[accordion title=Belo Horizonte]Welcomed by Archbishop Antônio Cabral, he arrived in Belo Horizonte on April 7, 1942. In May 1943, he presented the model of the future Church of the Sacred Hearts to the community. It was only 16 months of intense apostolate from the chapel of Christ the King, in the old parish of São Domingos, the future parish of the Sacred Hearts. The demand from the people was three times greater than the chapel's capacity. In order to organize the event, it was necessary to distribute tickets using a numbered card.

[blockquote footer=”Cardinal D. Serafim Fernandes de Araújo, Archbishop Emeritus of Belo Horizonte”]“Father Eustáquio went to Belo Horizonte rejected; nobody knew where to place Father Eustáquio. He went to Belo Horizonte with the obligation not to perform miracles. Because for God, there is no such thing. He did… he changed street names, changed neighborhood names, changed church names, changed everything… to see what a person marked by God is like. Father Eustáquio, with his 'Health and Peace,' reached all families, from JK (Juscelino Kubitschek, then mayor) to the simplest and poorest of Christians.‘[/blockquote]

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[accordion title=Missionary of Health and Peace]Besides his own parish, he was called upon everywhere, and in those short 16 months in Belo Horizonte we still have news of his visits to so many neighborhoods and cities: Santa Tereza, Maria Auxiliadora Chapel, O Diário newspaper, Lagoinha, Barro Preto, Floresta, Nova Lima, Itaúna, Montes Claros, Calafate, Imaculada College, São Rafael Institute, Boa Viagem Cathedral, Pedro Leopoldo, Engenho Nogueira, Bento Pires, Arnaldo College, Patrocínio, Santa Casa, Industrial Workers Institute, Minas Gerais Sanatorium, Renascença, Lourdes Church, São Pascoal College, Companhia Força e Luz, Sacred Heart of Jesus College…[/accordion]

[accordion title=Unexpected Illness]A sudden high fever interrupted this intense apostolate for a week. On August 30, 1943, he died, a victim of typhus or spotted fever, also called tick fever.[/accordion]

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[accordion title=Popular recognition and gratitude]His funeral was a true triumphal march. The burial was the beginning of an apotheosis. His tomb in the Bonfim Cemetery continued to be visited by the faithful. Immediately, a constant pilgrimage to his tomb began, along with the construction of the church he had designed. In the parish register of the Mother Church, we can read the entry of August 30, 1944: first “anniversary of the death of Father Eustáquio, 1st vicar of the Sacred Hearts parish. Three masses were celebrated for his soul, attended by thousands of people. The people spontaneously went in large numbers to the Bonfim cemetery where his mortal remains are located. The priests, according to the wishes of the Archbishop, did not organize a pilgrimage.” The construction of the Church of the Sacred Hearts became a reality, and the people affectionately began to call it the Church “of Father Eustáquio”. Once part of the church's construction was completed, the religious figure's remains were exhumed and transferred to a tomb inside the church in January 1949.

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