Antônio de Almeida Lustosa

On July 4, 1924, Pope Pius XI appointed him Bishop of Uberaba, in Minas Gerais. Initially reluctant out of humility, he accepted out of obedience and received episcopal ordination on February 11, 1925, the day of his birthday and the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. In Uberaba, he worked to reopen the diocesan seminary, which was nearly empty, and dedicated himself actively to the marginalized and to social justice.

In December 1928, he was transferred to the Diocese of Corumbá, in Mato Grosso, an immense territory that was difficult to access for evangelization. In July 1931, he was promoted to Archbishop of Belém do Pará, in the north of the country, where for ten years he deployed intense pastoral activity, notably by accompanying the famous Círio de Nazaré festival.

On July 19, 1941, he was appointed Archbishop of Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceará, where he took possession of his see on November 5, 1941. It was in this archdiocese that he gave the full measure of his apostolic zeal for nearly 22 years. Convinced that evangelization requires the restoration of human dignity, he multiplied social and educational works. Nicknamed the "father and friend of the poor," he did not hesitate to beg himself to help populations struck by drought.

Among his numerous achievements in Fortaleza are: * The foundation of the Congregation of the Josefinas Sisters (Sisters of Saint Joseph), initiated in collaboration with Father Luís de Carvalho Rocha and Rosita Paiva for the assistance of rural families and the teaching of the catechism (founded on January 4, 1933, its constitutions were approved by Msgr. Lustosa in 1950). * The foundation of the Institute of Clergy Cooperators on February 10, 1957. * The creation of the "Curé d'Ars" pre-seminary. * The opening of the São José Hospital, the Cardeal Frings Institute, the Casa do Menino Jesus, as well as numerous free popular schools, dispensaries, and workers' circles. * The erection of the Our Lady of Fátima sanctuary and the creation of the "Assunção Cearense" radio station.

Msgr. Lustosa was also a brilliant intellectual and a prolific writer. A member of the Ceará Institute and the Fortaleza Academy of Letters, he published numerous works touching on theology, philosophy, spirituality, hagiography, but also geology, botany, and children's literature. He wrote daily religious articles in the newspaper O Nordeste and founded the magazine A Fortaleza for Christian workers.

Due to serious health problems, Bishop Lustosa submitted his resignation, which was accepted by Pope John XXIII on February 16, 1963. On May 29, 1963, he left Fortaleza to retire to the Salesian house in Carpina, in the state of Pernambuco. He spent the last eleven years of his life there, confined to a wheelchair. Despite illness and suffering, he maintained an exemplary attitude of total acceptance of the divine will.

He passed away holily on August 14, 1974, in Carpina, on the eve of the Feast of the Assumption. His body was brought back to Fortaleza to be buried in the Metropolitan Cathedral, amidst immense popular fervor.

His reputation for holiness and wisdom is immense. During his apostolic visit to Fortaleza on July 10, 1980, Pope John Paul II spoke before the bishops of Brazil of "the admirable figure of Dom Antônio de Almeida Lustosa, who rests in this cathedral and who left in this diocese the luminous image of a wise man and a saint."

The process of beatification and canonization was officially opened on August 14, 1993, by the Archbishop of Fortaleza, Cardinal Aloísio Lorscheider. The diocesan inquiry into the life, virtues, and reputation for holiness of the Servant of God concluded on August 14, 2001.

The Positio super virtutibus was subsequently transmitted to Rome, to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. On November 8, 2022, the Congress of Theological Consultors gave a unanimous favorable opinion on the heroic nature of his virtues.

On June 22, 2023, during an audience granted to Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the virtues practiced by Antônio de Almeida Lustosa, thereby officially conferring upon him the title of Venerable.

The spirituality of Bishop Lustosa is deeply anchored in the Salesian charism of Saint John Bosco, characterized by a concern for the salvation of souls (Da mihi animas, cetera tolle) and an absolute trust in Mary Help of Christians. His love for the Virgin Mary, which he sang of in his writings, guided his entire ministry. His pastoral action rested on the conviction that evangelization and social justice are inseparable. His ascetic lifestyle, marked by great personal poverty and constant humility, contrasted with the scale of his material and spiritual achievements. His episcopal motto, Sub umbra alarum tuarum ("Under the shadow of your wings"), testifies to his total abandonment to Divine Providence. His legacy remains alive in Brazil, particularly through the Congregation of the Josefinas Sisters, who continue their mission of education and social assistance, as well as in the memory of the faithful of Fortaleza who continue to venerate him as the "father of the poor."