Eustáquio (Eustachius or Eustache) van Lieshout (November 3, 1890 – August 30, 1943) was a Dutch

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, and a religious and priest of the

Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary () abbreviated SS.CC., is a Roman Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men priests and brothers. The congregation is also known as the Picpus because their firs ...

Life

He was born Huub van Lieshout on November 3, 1890 in Aarle-Rixtel in the province of Brabant, the eighth of eleven children. His family was a very Catholic rural family. In 1903, he was enrolled in the

Latin school The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Emphasis was placed, as the name indicates, on learning to use Latin. The education given at Latin schools gave gre ...

in Gemert. After reading the biography of Damien de Veuster, van Lieshout transferred in 1905 to the

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and ...

of the Picpus Fathers, becoming a member of the Congregation in 1913, at which time he received the religious name of Eustachius."Eustáquio van Lieshout (1890-1943)", Vatican News Service
/ref> Upon completion of his

theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

studies in 1919, he was ordained a priest in August 1919. His first assignment was as assistant novice master for his order. He was then assigned to the towns of Maassluis and Roelofarendsveen in

South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...

, where he provided pastoral care for the many Belgian refugees. In recognition of his work, the King of Belgium knighted him in the

Order of Leopold Order of Leopold may refer to: * Order of Leopold (Austria), founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918 * Order of Leopold (Belgium), founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium * Order of Leopold II, founded in Congo ...

. He then spent two years in Roelofarendsveen as a parochial vicar. In 1924 he was sent to Spain to learn Spanish, in anticipation of an assignment in Uruguay. However, he ended up being sent to Brazil, where the language was Portuguese."Blessed Eustaquio van Lieshout", Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
/ref>

Career in Brazil

Van Lieshout, along with two other Picpus priests and three lay brothers, was sent to

, in response to an appeal for help by a local bishop. He arrived in Rio de Janeiro on 12 of May 1925 and had to wait until the 15th of July when he was appointed

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

for the town of Agua Suja in

Romaria Romaria is a Brazilian municipality located in the northwest of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2020 was 3,520 people living in a total area of 402 km². The city belongs to the mesoregion of Triângulo Mineiro e Alto Pa ...

.Eustaquio van Lieshout
Retrieved on 18 Jan 2018 The inhabitants in parish of Agua Suja, where he served as a pastor, were occupied in searching gold along the shores of the river Bagagem. These people being deeply Catholics didn't meet the Catholic behavior in their common life. Van Lieshout saw his apostolic aim to change them and, with the course of time, he managed to do this because people in his parish gradually acquired the taste to the virtuous life. In 1935 he was sent by his religious superiors to Poá. After news spread of van Lieshout's transfer, the population of the town started a bloodless uprising to stop him from leaving. Nevertheless, he left in obedience to his superiors for his new parish, where he worked to oppose the widespread practice of

Candomblé Candomblé () is an African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West Africa, especially that of the Yoruba, and the Roman C ...

. His blessings and cures of the sick through the intercession of St. Joseph made the little village a noted center of pilgrimage. This, however, brought major problems to the town. Railroads were not able to furnish transportation for the great crowds; the lack of adequate housing meant that sanitary conditions were inadequate to the need. The police were no longer able to maintain order. Merchants sold bad food at high prices and thieves roamed the pilgrimage area preying on innocent victims. Van Lieshout was ordered to leave the parish to prevent these conditions from continuing. Despite this, tremendous crowds followed him everywhere. Brazilian authorities became so alarmed that they ordered him out of towns and villages. No one had anything against him, but they were afraid of the crowds and the commotion that would follow him. The Cardinal Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro instructed van Lieshout to leave the capital by midnight. Subsequently, a fanatical crowd blocked traffic and invaded church

rectories A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically own ...

looking for him. He left Poá in May 1941. Somehow, he managed to find a hiding place and passed a year in peace and happiness. His final appointment was as pastor of Belo Horizonte, where he lived the last two years of his life. He was given an assistant who was able to control the crowds. No one was permitted to enter the rectory without a letter of introduction. In this fashion, van Lieshout was able to devote his complete energy to the work of his parish. After a week of sickness caused by an insect bite, he died on August 30, 1943. He spent his last years in the precincts of Celeste Império around Jardim Montanhês, where he served his masses in chapel Cristo Rei. He travelled a lot all around the area and resumed his mission in the following words "health and peace" towards the faith and charity. Eustáquio van Lieshout
Retrieved on 18 Jan 2018 At his death, on his body was found a penitential pointed iron chain, buried so deep in his flesh that it could not be removed without tearing the flesh. Miracles are attributed to him. At first he was buried at the church of Santo Domingo, Belo Horizonte. But then he was reinterred at the church of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Belo Horizonte in 1949.Eustáquio van Lieshout (1890-1943)
Retrieved on 18 Jan 2018

Beatification

Eustáquio van Lieshout was venerated on April 12, 2003 by Pope John Paul II (decree of heroic virtues). Following a

papal rescript Papal rescripts are responses of the pope or a Congregation of the Roman Curia, in writing, to queries or petitions of individuals. Some rescripts concern the granting of favours; others the administration of justice under canon law, e. g. the i ...

of December 19, 2005, which declared authentic a miracle attributed to his intercession, van Lieshout was

beatified Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to Intercession of saints, intercede on behalf of individua ...

in Belo Horizonte on June 15, 2006, the

Feast of Corpus Christi The Feast of Corpus Christi (), also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, is a Christian liturgical solemnity celebrating the Real Presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the elements of ...

that year, at a service led by the Archbishop of Belo Horizonte, Walmor de Oliveira de Azevedo. It was presided over by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, Prefect of 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, pa ...

, acting on behalf of

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

References

Sources

*
Vatican Announcement of the Beatification of Father Eustáquio van Lieshout, SS.CC., June 14, 2006
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lieshout, Eustaquio Van 1890 births 1943 deaths Picpus Fathers 20th-century Dutch Roman Catholic priests Dutch emigrants to Brazil Roman Catholic missionaries in Brazil Brazilian beatified people Dutch beatified people People from Laarbeek 20th-century venerated Christians Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Deaths due to insect bites and stings Beatifications by Pope Benedict XVI Dutch Roman Catholic missionaries