The National Secretariat for the Cause of Canonization of Father Eustáquio began recording the Lenten Retreat this week, which will be broadcast on the Father Eustáquio Channel during the 40 days of Lent. The material will begin to be posted on Ash Wednesday.

With the aim of helping devotees of Father Eustace to experience Lent more intensely, the Secretariat created a classic setting with colors and objects reminiscent of the Lenten period and invited Father Silvano Dias de Ávila to lead the reflections. Father Silvano, who is a formator of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts, will use as a resource the book: Living Lent with Saint Augustine, by Pasquale Cormio, from Ave Maria Publishing House.

The videos will be approximately five minutes long and will be posted daily from Ash Wednesday (March 2nd) until the Saturday before Palm Sunday (April 9th), at 5:00 AM on the Padre Eustáquio Channel. The material is being recorded at the Sanctuary of Health and Peace and involves a team of six people.

What is a Lenten Retreat?

The Lenten retreat is an instrument of prayer and conversion. Its purpose is to assist individuals and communities in daily personal prayer, guiding them to experience God's grace in their lives. The guides help in the practice of the Spiritual Exercises in daily life.

Lent is a powerful time of prayer and preparation for Easter, marked by penitential practices such as fasting and acts of charity. This period of prayer, which originated in the 4th century, is traditionally prayed for 40 days (from Ash Wednesday to Lazarus Saturday – before Palm Sunday), but since the pontificate of Paul VI, Lent officially lasts 44 days, as it only ends on Holy Thursday, when the Easter Triduum begins.