On Tuesday, August 30 the Parish of the Sacred Hearts - Sanctuary Archdiocesan Health and Peace - in Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais, Brazil) celebrated the 73rd "Feast of Blessed Eustaquio," on the 10th Anniversary of his beatification.
More than 16 hours of celebration, we had Masses every two hours, 20,000 devotees and 190 food and religious goods stalls. All this shows how the Feast of Father Eustaquio has become a tradition, and ever larger.
Besides devotees from different parts of Brazil, the celebrations had the special participation of Blessed Eustaquio’s nephews who came from Holland and brought a desk made by his father in 1903 which was used by Father Eustaquio. The piece has the signature Eustaquio written with a fountain pen and will be part of the collection of the new museum.
The devotees of Blessed Eustaquio had the opportunity to celebrate, give thanks and ask her intercession throughout the day at Mass presided over by the priests of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and the auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of Belo Horizonte. The motivations that lead devotees to the shrine vary between devotion, thanksgiving and fulfillment of promises.
The celebrations of Father Eustaquio month began on August 20 with the "Youth Pilgrimage" to the Shrine and light procession through the streets surrounding the shrine of Health and Peace with the image of Father Eustaquio. During the novena, in particular, the 28th, the priests resumed a practice of Blessed Eustaquio to give the "blessing of the driver".
"Health and Peace" are the words with which Father Eustaquio blessed all who sought to be blessed. We see words written on the altar of the sanctuary so that we do not forget that he passed by here and continues to intercede for us and to bless us every day.
Link to videos on Blessed Eustaquio
http://www.ssccpicpus.com/en/videos
09/04/2016