Carroll to host display of Eucharistic miracles

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
Oct. 18, 2007

As Catholics, the faithful believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist but few are familiar with the many miracles that surround the Blessed Sacrament.

To raise awareness about these miracles, Trinity Heights in Sioux City purchased an exhibit that showcases the 126 Vatican-approved Eucharistic miracles. Trinity Heights received the display that features 140 poster boards just in time to feature a small portion of them at the Annual Prayer and Celebration Day last summer, said Larry Walsh, a Trinity Heights board member.

"Our main purpose for bringing them to Queen of Peace is primary to reaffirm that the consecrated host is the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ," he said. "If we all understood that and believed that there would never be an empty church."

There is a continual rotating display of the miracles in the St. Joseph Center at Trinity Heights.

The secondary purpose of the display is to allow parishes and Catholic schools to borrow a portion of the display. Some of the miracles were displayed at the Diocesan Ministries Conference held last month in Spencer.

Forty-two of the miracles will soon be on display at the Greteman Center located at Holy Spirit Church in Carroll. That showing is co-sponsored by KYMJ-FM Catholic radio and the Carroll area Serra Club.

"It's a great way to remind people of Jesus' real presence in the Eucharist. Any time you can do that and get people to stop and think that it is really true can bring more reverence to Jesus in the Eucharist," said Dave Prenger, a member of the radio station board and Serran. "We know that Eucharistic adoration is very key to increasing religious vocations in the diocese so we are hoping that this will spur more people to get involved with Eucharistic adoration here in the Carroll area."

The more the faithful understand about the real presence of Jesus' real presence in the Eucharist, the "more we will grow in holiness and we all need some of that," he added. "A lot of people believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist in their head but I don't know that they actually know it in their hearts. I am hoping this may bring more of us in that direction."

He said they selected miracles that would be appealing to students.

"Some of the miracles involve children and some are more recognizable - involving saints they may have heard of before and other well-known ones," he said.

For instance, one of the miracles to be displayed happened in about the year 800 in Lanciano, Italy.

"A priest was offering Mass and he had lots of doubts about Jesus really being present in the Eucharist. When he elevated the host at consecration, it started bleeding and of course he was a believer after that," described Prenger.

After 1,200 years, the host and droplets of blood are still on display in Italy. In the 1970s, scientists tested the host and the blood. They discovered the host was actually human heart muscle and the blood was the same type as found in the Shroud of Turin.

Grade school students and freshmen from Kuemper Catholic School will view the display as a class during Oct. 23-26. The display will be open to the public on the weekend - 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Oct. 27 and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 28.

Prenger said some teachers in the younger grades have decided to select one miracle or a couple to research before they see the display.

Board members from the radio station and Serrans will be on hand when the students view the exhibit to help answer questions.

"I would like to thank Father Jim McCormick at Holy Spirit for allowing us to bring the exhibit to Carroll. Without his help, we wouldn't be able to do it," said Prenger. "We are bringing this display to Carroll and we are going to let the Holy Spirit do his work and see if we can touch a few hearts."

Most of the miracles are displayed on one board, but some are on two. They feature a photo or a drawing and a story, explaining what happened in relation to the miraculous event.

Prenger encouraged other parishes or Catholic groups to utilize the display.

If interested in hosting a portion of the exhibit, contact the business office at Trinity Heights in Sioux City, (712) 239-8670.