Thousands gather for declaration of India’s first Eucharist miracle

Some 10,000 Catholics gathered in a tiny village parish in southern India recently to witness the official declaration of a Eucharist miracle, billed as the first such Vatican-approved miracle in India. The May 31 event came more than 11 years after the miracle — the face of Christ appearing in the holy host during a Eucharistic celebration — occurred at Christ the King Church in Vilakkannur parish, in Thalassery archdiocese on Nov. 15, 2013. The Vatican approved the miracle two months ago, following a theological analysis and scientific evaluation, which allowed the archdiocese to install the miraculous host in the parish. The official declaration came after prolonged studies, both theological and scientific.
In March, the Dicastery of Doctrine of Faith declared that “nothing prevented the declaration of the Vilakkannur Eucharist as an extraordinary event.” The incident was first studied by a doctrinal committee of the Syro-Malabar Church, and its report was submitted in December 2013. Following further studies, the Dicastery of the Doctrine of Faith in 2018 requested that the consecrated host be sent to the Vatican through the nuncio for closer examination. In September 2023, the Vatican sought to conduct scientific studies on the host to establish that no foreign substance was present, forming the image of Jesus on it. Following the Vatican’s instructions, the host was taken to Bangalore’s Christ University for scientific studies in January 2024. A team of theologians and scientists at the university, which is run by the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate priests, conducted the studies. The studies in India and abroad “have established that the sacred image was formed by the same substance as that of the host and there is no other trace of any other material,” archdiocesan chancellor Mutta-thukunnel told local media.