On October 6th and 7th, hundreds of people from Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri came to Holy Rosary Catholic Church and School in Clinton for a unique event. The Real Presence Education Foundation, a St. Louis-based group, filled the school gym with 50 display panels depicting The Vatican-commissioned photo exhibition of Eucharistic Miracles from around the world. These Eucharistic Miracles span over 2000 years since the inception of the Catholic Church. Each panel gave a detailed description of how a piece of a consecrated host that was turned to Christ’s flesh and blood resulted in some scientifically unexplainable phenomena occurring before the eyes of witnesses.
In many instances these miracles occurred when there was a lack of faith or even doubt in the Eucharist. Take the miracle of Orvieto (Italy) in 1263 AD for instance, the priest had a moment of doubt that Jesus Christ was truly present in the Eucharist while celebrating Mass. Then, after lifting the Eucharist, he noticed that blood was dripping down from the previously undisturbed bread onto the cloth covering the altar.
Over 130 Vatican-approved Eucharistic Miracles, like that of Orvieto, were documented and published to a website by an Italian teenager, Blessed Carlo Acutis (1990-2006). Thanks to his devotion to the Eucharist, exhibits like the one held at Holy Rosary are on display across the world to help educate Christians of Christ’s True Presence in the Eucharist.
In addition to the display boards, The Real Presence Education Foundation brought first-class relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis, St. Faustina Kowalksi and St. Peter to help enrich the experience for those who attended. While Catholics do not worship the Saints and the Beatified (Blessed), they turn to them for help and guidance on their journey toward a closer, personal relationship with Jesus.
Over the course of the event, guests viewed the panels at their own pace, attended presentations, sat with our Lord during Adoration, visited the relics and simply spent time getting to know Jesus better. On Friday (10/6), the students of Holy Rosary and St. Mary’s (Montrose) Catholic Schools joined together to learn about miracles, Bl. Carlo Acutis and touch a reliquary holding strands of his hair (a first-class relic), view the panels and go on a scavenger hunt of miracles.
This event was part of the ongoing revival of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, a movement of the Roman Catholic Church. It is The Church’s plan to bring more people back to church and help them understand that Jesus is truly present in the Holy Eucharist - in body, blood, soul and divinity. This is what our faith is based on.
To learn more about Eucharistic Miracles, Blessed Carlo Acutis, please visit his website: carloacutis-en.org To learn more about the Catholic faith, please contact the office at Holy Rosary Catholic Church 660-885-4523.
