Holy Eucharist - Eucharistic Miracle - Alkmaar, Netherlands - 1429

Eucharistic Miracle
Alkmaar, Netherlands - 1429 

Alkmaar Netherlands is located in the northern part of the country about 25 miles north of Amsterdam.  The earliest mention of the village of Alkmaar is in a 10th century document.  It finally was granted city rights in 1254. During the 1400's, the time of this miracle, Holland was controlled by the Duke of Burgundy.

Eucharistic Miracle 

On May 1, 1429 Fr. Folkert was celebrating his first Mass at the Cathedral of St. Lawrence in Alkmaar.  After he had pronounced the words of consecration he accidentally knocked over the chalice containing white consecrated Wine, which splattered three drops onto his chasuble. These turned into three drops of living Blood. After Mass, Fr. Folkert tried to burn the piece of the chasuble where the Blood had formed.  This did not work destroy the chasuble.  So he decided to bury the piece of his chasuble with the Blood.  

A few years later off the coast of Holland a boat was caught up in a violent storm.  As the captain of the boat considered his options to save his ship, an angel appeared to him holding in his hands a piece of fabric on which appeared three drops of blood.  The angel told the captain that the boat would be saved if he was willing to sail to Aklmaar and tell the pastor of St. Lawrence Church to unearth the buried cloth.  The captain agreed, the cloth was found and taken to the Bishop of Utrecht who in 1433 proclaimed this a Eucharistic Miracle. A statue of an angle was made to hold the relic of the cloth so that the parishioners of St. Lawrence could venerate the Holy Blood.     

Today

The Holy Blood may be viewed today in the St. Lawrence Church. This is not the same St. Lawrence church where the miracle took place.  That church is no longer standing.

Today, there are in fact two St. Lawrence churches within half a mile of each other in Alkmaar.  The Grote or Sint-Laurenskerk located at Koorstraat 2 Alkmaar, Netherlands is a Protestant church, built in 1470  famous for its Choir Organ. The Catholic Church of Saint Lawrence located at 68 Verdronkenoord Alkmaar, Netherlands, built in 1859 is the repository of the Holy Blood, still visible after over 500 plus years. 

But we do not have to go all the way to Alkmaar, Netherlands to witness a Eucharistic Miracle.  Our Lord comes to us Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity every time we celebrate Mass.  

For devotional items related to the Catholic Church, please visit Lynn's Timeless Treasures.     

Index of Eucharistic Miracles 

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Picture of St. Laurence Church from R. K. Parochie HH. Matthias - Laurentius web site 
Etching of the angle with the Holy Blood - The Eucharistic Miracles of the World, page 168
Picture of the banner and Holy Relic from  a July 17th 2015 visit to St. Lawrence Church  by the Sisters of the Community of St. Adolphine, SSVM