American professor and researcher H\u00e9rika Helga, from Yale University in the United States, visited the Sanctuary of Health and Peace in Belo Horizonte this week. She learned about the history of the church designed by Father Eust\u00e1quio and visited the archives related to devotion to the Blessed One.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The visit is part of a study by the professor on religions in Latin America. H\u00e9rika said she has been in Brazil for a month and a half researching devotions, especially in S\u00e3o Paulo and Minas Gerais. \u201cI am focusing my work in S\u00e3o Paulo, but when I researched the construction of grottoes in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes \u2013 something also practiced in the USA \u2013 I learned about the grotto in Po\u00e1 that was built by Father Eust\u00e1quio, and I was immediately captivated by his story and the devotion surrounding this priest.\u201d<\/em>, said the teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the capital of Minas Gerais, the researcher had access to objects, books, and documents published in the beatification process. According to H\u00e9rika, the accounts of graces received recorded in the documents found in Belo Horizonte will greatly help in the study she is developing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The American researcher's work is still in its early stages. According to her, after visiting some important study sites in Latin America, the recorded material will be organized and could become a book, an academic paper, or even part of a course at Yale University, but this will be decided by the professor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n