A miracle that lives on in the diocesan memory
The diocese of Alcalá de Henares celebrates another year of the Feast of the Holy Forms, a commemoration that recalls the Eucharistic miracle that took place between the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century. According to tradition, a Moor, after stealing some twenty consecrated hosts from various churches, repented and handed them over to a Jesuit priest. Given the uncertainty about their origin and the fear that they might be poisoned, the hosts were kept in a silver box inside a damp crypt, waiting for them to decay.
The sign of divine preservation
After some time, it was found that the unconsecrated hosts had deteriorated, while those handed over by the repentant thief remained intact. This event was considered a supernatural miracle, leading the Church to officially approve the Eucharistic miracle in 1619. The event reinforced faith in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and became deeply linked to the religious identity of the city.
Liturgical celebration and community participation
To commemorate this event, on Sunday, May 5, 2024, the Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration of the Chapel of the Holy Forms organized a solemn Eucharist in the parish of Santa María la Mayor, presided over by the diocesan bishop, Monsignor Antonio Prieto Lucena. Afterwards, a procession began around the temple, with the participation of approximately 300 worshippers from the chapel and numerous faithful from Alcalá de Henares and other areas of the diocese.
Preparations involving the community
As Mamen Roldán and Juan Miguel Bordas, coordinators of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in the Chapel, explain, preparations for the feast begin more than a month and a half in advance. Meetings are held with the chaplain, the coordinators on duty, and the elder brother of the Brotherhood of Soledad to organize the liturgical and logistical details, such as the procession route, the transfer of the monstrance, the choral music, and the floral decorations.
The chapel: a space for continuous prayer
The Chapel of the Holy Forms, attached to the parish of Santa María, was inaugurated for perpetual adoration in 2012 by the then bishop Juan Antonio Reig Pla. Since then, the faithful have taken turns to maintain uninterrupted prayer 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Although the original Holy Forms disappeared during the religious persecution of the 20th century, the Church of Alcalá continues to give thanks to God for the miracle. Every year, on the fifth Sunday of Easter, the Blessed Sacrament is carried in procession through the streets of Alcalá in a monstrance that replicates the original, symbolizing the 24 miraculous hosts.
Original source: www.elconfidencialdigital.com (published May 2, 2024)
Photo: Gunnar Ridderström on Unsplash
