Portugal prepares for its fifth National Eucharistic Congress from May 31 to June 2, 2024, in Braga, an event that begins one day after the solemnity of Corpus Christi. In this context, the Church recalls the Eucharistic miracle of Santarém, which occurred over seven centuries ago and originated in a sacrilegious act.
The origin of the miracle
According to historical accounts, dating the event between 1247 and 1266, a woman who suffered abuse and infidelity from her husband sought help from a witch. The sorceress promised to assist her, but in return asked for a consecrated host. The woman went to the church of Santo Estêvão and received the Holy Eucharist, but instead of consuming it, she removed it from her mouth and wrapped it in her veil, without anyone noticing.
Upon leaving the temple and heading to the witch’s house, several people observed blood flowing from her veil. Asked if she was injured, the woman, frightened by what was happening, ran home and stored the consecrated host in a chest. That night, she and her husband woke up startled to see the house shining and rays of light emanating from the chest. The woman confessed her action to her husband, and they spent the rest of the night in prayer and adoration.
The miracle and its veneration
The next day, they informed the parish priest, and the news spread throughout the city. The priest went to the house, and the Eucharist was carried in procession to the church of Santo Estêvão, accompanied by the faithful and religious. The host bled for three consecutive days and was preserved in a reliquary made of beeswax. In 1340, another prodigy occurred: upon opening the tabernacle, the priest found the wax vessel shattered and, in its place, a glass ampoule containing the blood of the host mixed with wax. This ampoule was placed in a silver-gilt monstrance, where it remains to this day.
The Sacred Particle is kept in an 18th-century Eucharistic throne above the main altar of the church of Santo Estêvão, which in 1997 was elevated to the Sanctuary of the Most Holy Miracle of Santarém. The site where the woman’s house stood was transformed into the Hermitage of the Miracle. Every year, on the second Sunday of April, the Feast of the Most Holy Miracle is celebrated, with a procession of the relic through the city streets.
Present day and legacy
At this year’s feast, the bishop of Santarém, Dom José Traquina, expressed his desire that, on the occasion of the V National Eucharistic Congress in Braga, the sanctuary of the Most Holy Miracle have daily exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The miracle of Santarém is one of several cataloged by Blessed Carlo Acutis in his exhibition “Eucharistic Miracles in the World.” According to his records, Saint Francis Xavier visited the sanctuary before departing on mission to India. The same Blessed Carlo Acutis, whose miracle for canonization was recognized by the Holy See on May 23, 2024, made a pilgrimage to this sanctuary.
Original source: www.acidigital.com (published May 27, 2024)
Photo: James Lansbury on Unsplash
