The Solemnity of Corpus Christi

06-02-2024Eucharistic Miracles

The Feast of Corpus Christi is celebrated in the Catholic Church on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday or, in some places, it is transferred to the Sunday. The feast was instituted to honour the Lord’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament.

The Vision of St Juliana of Cornillon

St. Juliana had a great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament from her youth and longed for a special feast to celebrate devotion to Our Lord’s Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. The saint had a vision of the Church under the appearance of a full moon which had one dark spot. During the vision, she heard a mysterious, heavenly voice explain that the moon represented the Church at that time, and the dark spot symbolized the fact that a great feast in honour of the Blessed Sacrament was missing from the liturgical calendar. St Juliana confessed the vision to Bishop Robert de Thorete, then Bishop of Liège, and Jacques Pantaléon, who later became Pope Urban IV. Bishop Robert was favorably impressed, and called a synod in 1246 which authorized the celebration of a feast dedicated to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament – Corpus Christi – to be held in the diocese in the following year.

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Veroli, Italy, 1570

03-31-2024Eucharistic Miracles

At Easter in 1570 in the Church of St. Erasmus, the consecrated Host, according to the traditional rite at the time, was placed in a round silver container (pyx) and placed in a burse-like holder. This was later placed in a large, ceremonial silver chalice with its paten; the whole wrapped in an elegant silk cloth. It should be mentioned that at that time exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance was not a widespread practice, even though the Council of Cologne (1452) specifically referred to the monstrance. It was the custom for each civil confraternity to be present for an hour of adoration before the exposed Blessed Sacrament.

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Morrovalle, Italy, 1560

03-24-2024Eucharistic Miracles

In Morrovalle, at about two o’clock in the morning of April 17, 1560, during the octave of Easter, Brother Angelo Blasi awoke with a start at the sound of violent crackling. Looking out the window of his cell, he saw the church was completely engulfed in flames, and he immediately ran to notify the other brothers. The fire was extinguished after seven hours, and in the following days began the work of clearing the massive pile of church ruins.

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The Eucharistic Miracle of Asti, Italy, 1535

03-10-2024Eucharistic Miracles

On July 25, 1535, while celebrating Mass at the main altar of the Collegiate Church of San Secondo at about 7:00 o’clock in the morning, a holy priest by the name of Domenico Occelli prepared to break the Host and noticed that, along the entire break, the Host was becoming red with living Blood. Three drops fell into the chalice and a fourth one remained at the extreme end of the Host. At first, Fr. Domenico continued the celebration of the Mass. But when he broke off the portion of the Host that had to be placed in the chalice, Blood came out of the Host.

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The Eucharistic Miracle of Macerata, Italy

01-28-2024Eucharistic Miracles

At Macerata in the church of the Cathedral of Holy Mary Assumed and St. Giuliano, under the altar of the Most Holy Sacrament, it is possible to venerate the relic of the “corporal marked by Blood.” Also preserved in this church is the parchment on which the miracle is described.

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The Eucharistic Miracle of Lourdes, France

01-21-2024Eucharistic Miracles

On August 22, 1888, at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, there took place for the first time at Lourdes the procession together with the benediction of the sick with the Blessed Sacrament. It was a priest who proposed this pious practice and it has not been abandoned since that time.

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The Eucharistic Miracle of Cascia, Italy

01-14-2024Eucharistic Miracles

At Cascia, in the basilica dedicated to St. Rita, is also preserved the relic of the Eucharistic Miracle, which happened near Siena in 1330. A priest was asked to bring Communion to a sick peasant. The priest took a consecrated Host which he irreverently placed in the pages of his breviary and went to the peasant. When he arrived at the house of the sick man, after hearing his confession, he opened the book to take out the Host which he had placed there. To his great surprise he found that the Host was stained with living blood, so much as to mark both pages between which the Blessed Sacrament had been placed.

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The Eucharistic Miracle of Offida, Italy

11-19-2023Eucharistic Miracles

In 1273 in the town of Lanciano, a woman named Richiarella went to a witch and asked her how she could recover the affection of her husband, Giacomo Stasio. Following the witch’s advice, she went to Communion to obtain a consecrated Host. She returned home and put the Host on the fire in an earthenware jar with the intention of turning the Blessed Sacrament into powder to put into her husband’s food. The Particles, however, were transformed into living Flesh. Richiarella, horrified by these events, wrapped the jar and the Bloodied Host in a linen handkerchief that she then buried under the manure in her husband’s stable.

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The Eucharistic Miracles of Florence, Italy

11-08-2023Eucharistic Miracles

Two Eucharistic miracles took place in 1230 and 1595 in Florence’s Church of Saint Ambrose.  In 1230, a priest having finished celebrating Mass, did not realize that several drops of consecrated wine remained in the chalice.  A day later, taking up the chalice, he found living blood coagulated.  This was shown to all who were present, to the bishop, and to all the clergy. He took the Precious Blood from the chalice and put the Sacred Species in a crystal cruet and showed the people.  The relic of the coagulated Blood (several drops of Blood that measure about a square centimeter) is conserved in a reliquary which has been placed inside a white marble tabernacle.

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The Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena, Italy

11-05-2023Eucharistic Miracles

In 1263 a German priest, Peter of Prague, stopped at Bolsena while on a pilgrimage to Rome. He is described as being a pious priest, but one who found it difficult to believe that Christ was actually present in the consecrated Host. While celebrating Holy Mass above the tomb of St. Christina (located in the church named for this martyr), he had barely spoken the words of Consecration when blood started to seep from the consecrated Host and trickle over his hands onto the altar and the corporal. The priest was immediately confused.

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