Eustáquio van Lieshout

The Blessed Eustáquio (Eustachius or Eustache) van Lieshout, SS.CC., (November 3, 1890 – August 30, 1943) was a Dutch missionary in Brazil, and a religious and priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

He was born Huub van Lieshout in Aarle-Rixtel in the province of Brabant. In 1903, knowing that he wanted to become a priest, he was enrolled in the Latin school in Gemert, from which he transferred in 1905 to the minor seminary of the Picpus Fathers, becoming a member of the Congregation in 1913, at which time he received the religious name of Eustachius. Upon completion of his theological studies in 1919, he received Holy Orders as a priest, and was then assigned to give pastoral care in the towns of Maassluis and Roelofarendsveen in South Holland.^[1] While still a young priest, in recognition of his work, the King of Belgium knighted him in the Order of Leopold.

Career in Brazil

Van Lieshout, along with two other Picpus priests and three lay brothers, was sent to Brazil in 1925, in response to the appeal for help by a local bishop. There he tried to follow the example of St. Damien de Veuster, a venerated member of his congregation. He was appointed as pastor for the town of Agua Suja (now Romaria).

After news spread of van Lieshout's transfer to Poá by his religious superiors, 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. His blessings and cures of the sick 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 looking for him. 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.

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.

Beatification

Following a papal rescript of December 19, 2005, which declared authentic a miracle attributed to his intercession, van Lieshout was beatified in Belo Horizonte on June 15, 2006, the Feast of Corpus Christi 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, C.M.F., Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, acting on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI.

References

Sources

• Eric Steinhauer (2001). "Lieshout, Eustáquio van". In Bautz, Traugott. Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) (in German) 18. Herzberg: Bautz. cols. 835–836. ISBN 3-88309-086-7. 
• Vatican Announcement of the Beatification of Father Eustáquio van Lieshout, SS.CC., June 14, 2006