October 8, 2023

Dear Parish Family,

Next weekend, we are blessed to host the Blessed Carlo Acutis International Eucharistic Miracle Exhibit right here at Good Shepherd.  

What is a Eucharistic Miracle?

Eucharistic miracles are extraordinary events, where the Eucharist no longer appears under the form of bread and wine, but takes on the biological qualities of human flesh or blood or both.  These miracles have no scientific explanation but can be scientifically verified, and help us go beyond the visible and perceptible to the existence of something beyond, or even supernatural. The earliest of these dates back to the 8th century AD, and the most recent having taken place in Sokółka, Poland in 2008.

Who is Blessed Carlo Acutis?

Blessed Carlo Acutis was a regular young boy from Milan who loved soccer, playing video games, and going to the movies with his friends. While living a relatively normal life, there was something truly remarkable about him. He possessed a deep love and devotion to Christ in the Eucharist. As the internet was gaining popularity in the early 2000s, he helped form websites for parishes, the Vatican, and made a website with information on Eucharistic miracles. He begged his parents to take vacations to 17 different countries and journaled and took copious notes on everything he witnessed. Over a span of two-and-a-half years, he documented 187 Eucharistic miracles. Carlo did not come from an overly religious family, but he was instrumental in their conversion.

In October of 2006, in the midst of his research of Eucharistic Miracles, he was diagnosed with advanced leukemia. He offered his sufferings for Pope Benedict XVI, the Church, and for his direct entry into heaven. Many were moved by his witness in the midst of his great suffering. He died on October 12, 2006. He was beatified on October 10, 2020. He is quoted as saying: “If we stand in front of the sun, we get a tan, but if we stand before the Blessed Sacrament, we become saints.”

When and where is the Exhibit?

The exhibit will be on display next weekend beginning Saturday, October 14 after the 5:30 p.m. Mass, continuing on Sunday October 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Monday October 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in the Parish Hall Lobby and Parish Hall B. Please take some time after Mass to explore this powerful exhibit and testament to our faith.

Grace and peace, 

Father Neil Sullivan