Father Vinícius Maciel, ss.cc, vice-postulator of the Cause of Canonization of Blessed Father Eustáquio, visited the Parish of Santo Antônio in Pratinha, a municipality in the interior of Minas Gerais, belonging to the Diocese of Luz. He was received by the parish priest, Father Marco Túlio, and by parishioners who also expressed devotion to the Blessed.

During the visit, Father Vinícius brought to the community an image of the Blessed and a first-degree relic of the Dutch priest. The image and the relic will be placed on display for public veneration by devotees in the main church.

Father Eustáquio's passage through Pratinha/MG

In 1942, Father Eustáquio was sent to Ibiá/MG, a city in the Alto Paraíba Mineiro region. As soon as he arrived in the municipality, the Dutchman was immediately sought out by people from that place and neighboring villages belonging to that parish region. According to records in the parish register of the church of Pratinha, Father Eustáquio was responsible for the parish for a few months, which generated great admiration for the Blessed One among the older residents, and which later became a beautiful devotion to him.

The Parish of Saint Anthony, in Pratinha, was created in 1865 and for a period was served by priests from Ibiá, and it was during this period that the Blessed served the people of God in that place.