Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Eucharistic Miracle - Herkenrode-Hasselt, Belgium 1317

Eucharistic Miracle
Herkenrode-Hasselt, Belgium - 1317
St. Quintinus Cathedral

Hasselt was founded around the 7th century on the Helbeek which is a tributary of the Demer River. By 1366 it became part of the Prince-Bishopric of Liege and remained so until it was annexed to France in 1794. Today the city lies about 46 miles east of Brussels in Belgium. One of the oldest buildings in the town center of Hasselt is St. Quintinus Cathedral which dates back to the 11th and 12th century. This is the current home of the Eucharistic Miracle of Herkenrode-Hasselt.

Eucharistic Miracle

On July 25, 1317, the pastor of Saint Quintinus in Viversel (current picture of church shown above -located at Kerkstraat 36, Viversel) was called to give Last Rights and Communion to a parishioner.

While the priest was hearing the confession of the man, a family member went through the priest's bag and found the Consecrated Host that was going to be used for Communion during the sacrament of Last Rights. The family member did not remove the Host, but did touch it.

When the priest came to get the Host for Communion, he discovered that it was covered with Blood and stuck to the linen of the bag.

This Host was not used for Communion that day. On August 1, It was taken to the Abbey of Herkenrode, 3 miles to the south (located at Zolderse Kiezel 200, 3511 Kuringen, Belgium), where it was shown to the nuns. The Host that was stained with Blood by then also contained the image of the face of Christ crowned with thorns. Many of the religious witnessed this.

Tests were done on this Host in the 18th century by the Apostolic Nuncio Carafa and the Bishop of Liege and it was declared a Eucharistic Miracle.

The Sacred Host remained with the sisters at the Abbey until 1796 when they were expelled from their convent by the French Revolution.

The Sacred Host was then hidden by different families who kept it in a metal box in their homes.

In 1804 the Host was taken in solemn procession from hiding to the Saint Quintinus Church located at Vismarkt, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium. This is four miles south of the Abbey and about seven miles south of the Saint Quintinus Church of Viversel.

Saint Quintinus Church dates back to the 11th century. In the 14th century it was given a Gothic architectural "update".

Today the Sacred Host from the Eucharistic Miracle of 1317 can still be viewed. It is perfectly preserved and held in a Reliquary where it can be venerated by the faithful. In 1967, Saint Quintinus was elevated to a cathedral.

We do not have to go all the way to Belgium to witness a Eucharistic Miracle. Our Lord comes to us every time we are blessed to receive Him, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity at Mass during Eucharist. Happy are those who are called to the Supper of the Lamb.

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

Index of Eucharistic Miracles.

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Picture of St.Quintins from Wikipedia
Picture of current St. Quirinus Church, Viversel, Belgium from Wikipedia
Picture of the Abbey of Herkenrode from European Charter of Abbey sites.

Picture of interior of St. Quintins from Wikipedia

Friday, February 12, 2016

Eucharistic Miracle - Bois-Seigneur Isaac Abbey, Belgium 1405

Eucharistic Miracle
Bois-Seigneur Isaac Abbey, Belgium - 1405
Feast Day - Sunday after the Feast of the Birth of Mary

Twelve miles south of Brussels lies the area of Braine-I'Alleud which includes the former municipality of Bois-Seigneur-Isaac.

Bois-Signeur-Isaac which literally means "Lord Isaac's Wood" owes its name to Isaac of Valenciennes who planted a wood in the area in the 11th century. The area is famous for the Battle of Waterloo, part of which was fought here in 1815. The Church Saint Etienne was set up as a field hospital after the battle on June 18, 1815. This blog post is about a church four miles away from Saint Etienne called Bois-Seigneur Isaac Abbey, which according to the church website was originally built between the 12th and 13th century.

Eucharistic Miracle

In the village of Bois-Seigneur-Isaac, on the Tuesday before Pentecost in 1405, Our Lord appeared to John of Huldenberg. Our Lord showed John His sacred wounds and during the third time He appeared Our Lord told John, "Go into the Chapel of Isaac, you will find Me there."

While these visions were occurring, the parish priest of the Chapel of Isaac, Father Peter Ost, heard a voice telling him to offer the Mass in the chapel.

According to the oldest document on this miracle, (kept in the Abbey archives) written between 1438 and 1469, Father Ost said Mass on June 5, 1405. Present in the congregation was John of Huldenberg.

During Mass, Father Peter opened the corporal to begin the Consecration of the Eucharist. Inside the corporal was a Particle of the large Host which had been Consecrated the preceding Tuesday. He went to consume the Host, but the Eucharist clung onto the corporal and began to bleed.

John observed this and said to Father Peter, "Do not fear, this marvel comes from God." Then he preceded to tell the priest of his visions.

The Blood left a stain the length of a finger, three fingers wide on the corporal.

The Bishop of Cambrai, Peter d'Ailly was informed. He opened the investigations and on June 16, 1410 it was declared to be miraculous. By 1414 the first procession of the miraculous Blood was conducted at the Chapel of Isaac.

Pilgrims began to flock to the small chapel, so many that more priests and religious were brought in to serve the people. A generous donation from William II, the Marquis of Namur, who was present at the first procession in 1414, made it possible to lay the foundations for a monastery in 1416 that was completed in 1418.

Over 350 years later, in an attempt at religious toleration, Emperor Joseph II began his endeavor to modernized the traditions of the Catholic Church. During his reign, 700 monasteries were closed, and marriage was defined as a civil contract outside the jurisdiction of the Church.

In 1783, the monastery of Bois-Seigneur was deemed unnecessary and religious received notice to vacate the monastery. Then came 1796 and the French Revolution, when the Monastery was permanently removed. Or so was thought. The Concordat of 1801 returned the monastery to the Catholic Church.

Fast forward to the 1920's when the Abbey of Bois-Seigneur-Isaac had upwards of 50,000 pilgrims visit the relic of the Holy Blood. Thirty years later though, the Abbey was in decline. By 2009 due to dwindling vocations it was decided to close the Abbey.

Today

On May 24, 2010 the Lebanese Maronite Order arrived and took responsibility for the Abbey of Bois-Seigneur-Isaac. Today the annual procession of the Holy Blood continues celebrated on the Sunday following the feast of the Birth of Our Blessed Mother in September.

600 years later, the precious Blood can still be viewed. It is held in a gold monstrance at the Bois-Seigneur Isaac Abbey (St. Charbel's Monastery) is Rue Armand de Moor 2 1421 Ophain-Bois-Seigneur-Isaac (Braine-I'Alleud).

What I found so interesting when it came to this miracle was that a piece, a crumb basically, of the precious Host was left behind in the corporal. That Crumb was the Body of Our Lord. Even a crumb of what we consume in the Eucharist is the entire Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord.

The second thing that I found interesting about this miracle is that at the times the Church has been attacked, such as, Church modernization in 1783, French Revolution 1796, and the current progressive modernization that has taken place since the 1950's - the Church always survived. As Our Lord said, "I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)

So with that, we do not have to go all the way to Belgium to witness the Eucharistic Miracle. Our Lord comes to us every time we are blessed to receive Him, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity at Mass during Eucharist. Happy are those who are called to the Supper of the Lamb.