Have you heard of the Eucharistic Miracle approved in Poland? What does it have to do with our day in time? What does it tell us about God's mercy? This is just what we discussed last week during a special Women of Grace Live radio program with our staff journalist, Sue Brinkmann, OCDS, to talk about a Eucharistic Miracle in Poland that was recently declared by the Catholic Church to be authentic.
Sue had recently published a blog entitled "Bishop Confirms Eucharistic Miracle in Poland" which quoted from a news story by Catholic News World. The story was so moving to me personally that it seemed appropriate to spend some time discussing it. I hope you are as inspired as I was about this amazing miracle for our time.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE BISHOP OF LEGNICA
On the Eucharistic Miracle in St. Jack Parish in Legnica
(translated from Polish)
Sisters and Brothers in Our Lord Jesus Christ!
As The Bishop of Legnica I hereby announce to the public and inform about an event that took place in the parish of St. Jack in Legnica which has the signs of the Eucharistic miracle. On 25th December, 2013 during the distribution of the Holy Communio
n, a consecrated Host fell to the floor and then was picked up and placed in a water-filled container (vasculum). Soon after, stains of the red colour appeared. The former Bishop of Legnica, Stefan Cichy, set up a commission to observe the phenomenon
. In February 2014, a tiny red fragment of the Host was seperated and put on a corporal. The Commission ordered to take samples in order to conduct the thourough tests by the relevant research institutes.In the final announcement of the Department of Forensic Medicine we read as follows: In the histopathological image, the fragments of tissue have been found containing the fragmented parts of the cross striated muscle. (...) The whole (...) is most similar to the heart muscle with alterations that often appear during the agony. The genetic researches indicate the human origin of the tissue.
In January this year I presented the whole matter to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican. Today, according to the recommendations of the Holy See, I ordered the parish vicar Andrzej Ziombro to prepare a suitable place for a display of the Relic so that the faithful could give it the proper adoration. Hereby, I also ask for providing the visitors with information and conducting the regular teaching that could help the faithful to have the proper attitude to the eucharistic cult. I also command to form a book to register all received benefits and other miraculous events.I hope that this will serve to deepen the cult of the Eucharist and will have deep impact on the lives of people facing the Relic. We see the misterious Sign as an extraordinary act of love and goodness of God, who comes to humans in ultimate humiliation.
I cordially ask for your prayer and I bless you
+ Zbigniew Kiernikowski
The Bishop of Legnica