It was on 4 October, 10 years ago, that Brother Eustace Kugler Kugler (1867-1946), who had served for many years as the Provincial Superior of the Bavarian Province of the Order of the Brothers of St John of God was canonised. The ceremony was celebrated in Saint Peter’s Cathedral in Regensburg attended by Archbishop Angelo Amato, of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints at the time, representing Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI. The Bishop of Regensburg presided at the Solemn Mass with the Emeritus Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Gerhard Ludwig Müller. A congregation of around 7,500 people crowded into the cathedral and all around it, because the ceremony was streamed live on a huge screen to be able to cater for the large crowd. A long procession then wended its way from the cathedral to the Brothers of St John of God Hospital where Blessed Eustace now rests in a shrine dedicated to him.

Hundreds of Brothers and a host of Co-workers of the Order came from all over the world to attend the event.

Blessed Eustace continues to be venerated all the time. Many patients and visitors drop in the Chapel of the Brothers of St John of God Hospital, where his remains rest, to ask for Blessed Eustace’s prayers.

On 4 October, 2019, the Auxiliary Bishop of Regensburg, Mgr Reinhard Pappenberger, will preside at a Solemn Eucharist commemorating the unforgettable event of his beatification ten years ago.

Eustace Kugler video