Antônio De Almeida Lustosa
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Antônio de Almeida Lustosa (11 February 1886 - 14 August 1974) was a Brazilian
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...
and professed member from the
Salesians of Don Bosco The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), formally known as the Society of Saint Francis de Sales (), is a religious congregation of men in the Catholic Church, founded in 1859 by the Italian priest John Bosco to help poor and migrant youth during the ...
. Lustosa served in two dioceses and two archdioceses in his career where he was reputed for his holiness and his learning. He introduced a range of innovations from media to new parishes and
seminaries A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clerg ...
in order to restore his dioceses and archdioceses. He was a constant evangelizer and was also an author who wrote children's literature and
music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
in addition to
hagiographical A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian ...
and
theological Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...
works. Lustosa was still a reluctant bishop but accepted each new position in obedience. His health forced him to retire in 1963 and he still remained a noted pastor following his resignation. His reputation for holiness had been noted in his life while he served in his dioceses and archdioceses and steps were taken in order to initialize a potential beatification process. The cause opened in 1992 and he became titled as a
Servant of God Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...
.
Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
named him as
Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...
on 22 June 2023.


Life

Antônio de Almeida Lustosa was born in the Minas Gerais province in 1886 as one of ten children to João Baptist Lustosa and Delfina de Almeida. His father planted
coconut palms The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the f ...
on his farm for each child that God gave him and his wife. In November 1895 the papers reported the death of the
Salesian The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), formally known as the Society of Saint Francis de Sales (), is a religious congregation of men in the Catholic Church, founded in 1859 by the Italian priest John Bosco to help poor and migrant youth during the ...
bishop Luigi Lasagna. This was the first time he ever heard of a Salesian but this became imprinted in his mind. From 1902 Lustosa studied at the Salesian-run college of Cachoreira do Campo. In 1904 he had become so fascinated with the Salesian spirit that he asked his parents if he could enter the order. His parents gave him their blessing after his father asked if that was what his son wanted. In 1905 he entered the order to commence his
novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
. He made his profession into the order on 28 January 1906. Following his 1912
ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
he taught philosophical and theological studies for a brief period before serving as a
novice master In the Christian Church, a novice master or master of novices (), is a member of an institute of consecrated life who is responsible for the training and government of the novitiate in that institute. In religious institutes for women, the novice ...
for seminarians. Ladislao Paz said of him: "Antônio Lustosa was a true saint". From 1913 to 1914 he was in
Jaboatão dos Guararapes Jaboatão dos Guararapes () is a city in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. It is a part of the Recife metro area. The population was 706,867 according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) in 2020, making it the second mo ...
and then as novice master in Lorraine from 1915 to 1916. He also served as novice master in
Lavrinhas Lavrinhas is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is formed by the neighborhoods of Jardim Mavisou, Pinheiros, Capela do Jacu, Village Campestre and Centro, where its seat is located. The municipality is crossed by many rivers, c ...
from 1916 to 1922. From 1923 to 1924 he was stationed in Bagé. In 1916 he was moved to Lavrinhas since the novitiate had been moved there where he still remained the novice master. In 1924 he learnt that
Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...
had appointed him as the Bishop of Uberaba and decided to refuse the nomination. But he accepted after the
apostolic nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...
Enrico Gasparri urged him to accept at the beginning of 1925. Lustosa himself set the date for his
episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...
in order to remind him of the presence of the
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
in his life to commemorate the feast of Nossa Senhora de Lourdes whose feast he himself was born on. He was enthroned in
Uberaba Uberaba () is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Highlands at an elevation of 823 metres (2,700 ft) above sea level on the Uberaba River, and is situated 418 kilometres (260 mi) from the state c ...
on 1 March 1925 in the rain following months of drought and heat. His first circular letter in Uberaba consecrated the diocese to the
Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...
in addition to making the determination that all parishes must expose the
Blessed Sacrament The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...
once per week for adoration and to foster deeper devotion to the
Eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...
. He later devoted his 21st circular to
Thérèse of Lisieux Thérèse of Lisieux (born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin; 2 January 1873 – 30 September 1897), religious name, in religion Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, was a French Discalced Carmelites, Discalced Carmelite who is widely v ...
and later presented each parish with a statue of her to be placed somewhere. He was later appointed to the Corumbá diocese and was enthroned in
Corumbá Corumbá () is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, 425 km northwest of Campo Grande, the state's capital. It has a population of approximately 112,000 inhabitants, and its economy is based mainly on agriculture, ani ...
on 28 December 1929. He was later appointed the Archbishop of Belém do Pará and was enthroned in
Belém do Pará Belém (; Portuguese language, Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará), often called Belém of Pará, is the capital and largest city of the state of Par ...
on 15 December 1931. It was in his archdiocese that he founded the archdiocesan newspaper called "The Word" and it would also feature a particular column dedicated to his pastoral visits. He was later appointed the
Archbishop of Fortaleza The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Fortaleza () is an archdiocese located in the city of Fortaleza in Brazil. History On June 6, 1854, it was established by Pope Pius IX, as the Diocese of Ceará from the Diocese of Olinda. Formerly a part of the D ...
and was enthroned in
Fortaleza Fortaleza ( ; ; ) is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeastern Brazil. It is Brazil's 4th largest city—Fortaleza surpassed Salvador, Bahia, Salvador in 2022 census with a population of slightly over 2.4 mi ...
on 5 November 1941. He dedicated himself to
health care Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...
concerns and to that end established archdiocesan health posts for the poor while in 1948 inaugurating a
soup kitchen A soup kitchen, food kitchen, or meal center is a place where food is offered to Hunger, hungry and homeless people, usually for no price, cost, or sometimes at a below-market price (such as coin Donation, donations). Frequently located in Low i ...
for the poor. Lustosa authored several books in addition to
music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
he himself wrote and also
children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...
as a means of instructing them in the faith and the basic tenets of
catechism A catechism (; from , "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of Catholic theology, doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult co ...
. He wrote numerous newspaper articles in addition to this. Lustosa also wrote a biographical account of Antônio de Macedo Costa. In 1962 he founded Rádio Assunção which was to serve as a broadcaster for the archdiocese but was later dissolved during the tenure of
Aloísio Lorscheider Aloísio Leo Arlindo Lorscheider, O.F.M. (8 October 1924 – 23 December 2007) was a Brazilian Catholic cardinal during the 1970s and 1980s. He was known as an advocate of liberation theology in the 1970s and was seen by some observers as a s ...
. He also created a total of 34 new parishes in Fortaleza including one
Eastern Rite Eastern Rite or Eastern liturgical rite may refer to: * a liturgical rite used in Eastern Christianity: ** liturgical rites of the Eastern Orthodox Church, which mainly use the Byzantine liturgical rites ** liturgical rites of the Oriental Orthodox ...
Melkite The term Melkite (), also written Melchite, refers to various Eastern Christian churches of the Byzantine Rite and their members originating in West Asia. The term comes from the common Central Semitic root ''m-l-k'', meaning "royal", referrin ...
parish. In Fortaleza he founded the Cardinal Frings Institute in addition to several schools and the Saint Joseph's Hospital. He was also one of the co-founders of the Conferência Nacional dos Bispos do Brasil. His love of the arts also prompted him to adorn the Fortaleza Cathedral with an impressive
stained glass window Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
. He was in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
for the initial preparation of the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...
and attended the first session from 11 October to 8 December 1962. Lustosa departed from his archdiocese with three priests helping him to leave at 6:00am where he got into a van that was to take him into retirement at a Salesian house in
Carpina Carpina is a city in Pernambuco, Brazil. Its economy is based on commerce and footwear industry. Its current mayor is Manoel Botafogo. Geography * State - Pernambuco * Region - Zona da mata Pernambucana * Boundaries - Tracunhaém, Buenos Aires ...
in
Pernambuco Pernambuco ( , , ) is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.5 million people as of 2024, it is the List of Brazilian states by population, ...
where he would spend the remainder of his life. He had resigned his see in a letter to
Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...
because he felt that vigorous work belonged to far more active men than he was and that he felt his work was taking its toll upon his health. In 1963 he was made a citizen of
Ceará Ceará (, ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. It is the List of Brazilian states by population, eighth-largest Brazilian State by ...
in honor of all his work. In 1968 he broke his
femur The femur (; : femurs or femora ), or thigh bone is the only long bone, bone in the thigh — the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many quadrupeds, four-legged animals the femur is the upper bone of the hindleg. The Femo ...
and this forced him to remain in a
wheelchair A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditio ...
for a period of time. He died in 1974 and his remains are interred in the Fortaleza Cathedral. Those that read his
will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
were faced with three words: "I have nothing".


Beatification process

The beatification process opened on 10 August 1992 after the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passi ...
(CCS) issued the "
nihil obstat (Latin for 'nothing hinders' or 'nothing stands in the way') is a phrase traditionally used by Catholic Church authorities to formally declare that there is no objection to the publication of a book. It also has other uses. Publishing The ...
" (nothing against) edict and titled Lustosa as a
Servant of God Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...
. The diocesan process was then overseen in Fortaleza from 14 August 1993 until 14 August 2001; the CCS validated this process on 2 May 2003 before receiving the
Positio A ''positio'' (short for the Latin ''positio super virtutibus'': "position on the virtues") is a document or collection of documents used in the process by which a Catholic person is declared Venerable, the second of four steps on the path to can ...
dossier from the postulation in 2008 for assessment.
Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
named him as
Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...
on 22 June 2023. The current
postulator A postulator is the person who guides a cause for beatification or canonization through the judicial processes required by the Catholic Church. The qualifications, role and function of the postulator are spelled out in the ''Norms to be Observed i ...
for this cause is the Salesian priest Pierluigi Cameroni.


References


External links


Hagiography Circle


{{DEFAULTSORT:Lustosa, Antônio de Almeida 1886 births 1974 deaths 20th-century Brazilian male writers 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Brazil 20th-century Roman Catholic theologians 20th-century venerated Christians Brazilian anti-poverty advocates Bishops appointed by Pope Pius XI 20th-century Roman Catholic titular archbishops Salesian bishops Roman Catholic archbishops of Fortaleza Roman Catholic bishops of Uberaba Roman Catholic bishops of Corumbá People from Carpina Venerated Catholics by Pope Francis Brazilian venerated Catholics