For 90 years, sixteen consecrated hosts have been kept in the parish of San Millán in Moraleja de Enmedio. For many faithful, they are an extraordinary sign of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. For Rafael de Tomás Ferrer, pastor of this community, they are also a grace that has deeply marked his priestly life.
«After these years as pastor, what this mystery of the Eucharist has meant for me personally is a growth on a very personal level of interior life, spiritual life, love for the Eucharist,» he explains. The priest acknowledges that the presence of this prodigy in the parish has been for him a source of encounter with Christ: «It has overwhelmed me greatly, it has helped me live a very special presence of the Lord that nourishes me, that gives me rest.» And he sums up what it means for his priestly ministry with a particularly personal expression: «At bottom, the Eucharist is the life of a priest and for me it has meant this: it is my life. It is where I rest, where I gather strength, where I am consoled.»
We are witnesses to a miracle
The story dates back to July 16, 1936, when 24 hosts were consecrated. Barely two days later the Civil War began and, at risk of profanation, the Blessed Sacrament was hidden. After the war, the hosts were recovered and began to be kept in the parish. Over time, their extraordinary state of preservation was verified: they were fit for consumption and became a reason for prayer and veneration for many faithful.
For the pastor, however, the essential thing is not to dwell on the extraordinary phenomenon, but to discover what it points to: «Christ present in the Eucharist.» «First, we are witnesses to a miracle. But linked to this miracle there is another: that the simple people of the town 90 years ago were willing to put even their own lives at risk to defend the Eucharist,» he says. In his view, that dedication of the residents of Moraleja de Enmedio contains a deeply Christian message: «What most defines the life of a Christian is to unite with Jesus and love him as Jesus has loved us, giving his life.» Therefore he considers that the current residents are depositaries of a history received from those who preceded them: «We are heirs of a heroic faith. In our parish there is a gift that is very great and, in some way, we are called to be custodians of what our fathers and grandfathers guarded.»
Visible fruits
One of the most visible fruits of the prodigy is the intense life of eucharistic adoration that currently takes place in San Millán. The parish offers daily moments of prayer before the sacred hosts and has prolonged adoration especially on Thursdays, when the Blessed Sacrament remains exposed all day. «Eucharistic adoration occupies a very important, central, fundamental, essential place in the faith life of the parish,» says Rafael de Tomás.
The priest considers that this sign has helped many faithful to deepen their awareness of the real presence of Christ: «The Eucharist is God. Jesus is the Eucharist. It is not that Jesus is in the Eucharist, but that He is the Eucharist.» «When we contemplate these sacred hosts that remain intact and incorrupt, it becomes very evident, it is very overwhelming, because you cannot explain it any other way except that the presence of Jesus is real,» he adds.
Furthermore, Rafael de Tomás has witnessed the transformation of many people who approach the prodigy for the first time. He recalls the case of a person who came to the church without really knowing why: «He told me: ‘I don’t know why I came to this church, I hear the bells, something moved me to come here, I entered, I saw people praying and I thought: I want to believe in this God that these people believe in.’» He also recalls the testimony of someone who discovered a profound experience
Original source: www.diocesisgetafe.es (published July 14, 2026)
Photo: Jesús Vidal on Unsplash
