Eucharistic Miracle of Herkenrode-Hasselt, Belgium 1317

In July 25, 1317, the pastor of the church in Viversel was called to the bedside of one his parishioners who was seriously ill, to receive the holy sacraments. Upon his arrival at the house of the sick person, he rested his handbag containing the consecrated Host on a table at the entrance and went to hear the confession of the sick person. One of the family members, curious about the handbag, opened it without being noticed. From it he pulled out the pyx, opened the cover and put his hand into it. As soon as he realized that inside there was a Host, he put everything back in order. In the meantime, the priest came out from the room of the sick person to take out the Host with which to give him Communion. He took the handbag with the pyx inside, and when he opened it he saw that the Host he himself had consecrated during Mass was stained with Blood and was in some way stuck to the linen that covered the bottom of the container. Troubled and panic-stricken with the excuse that he had forgotten something, he rushed out of the house and went to the pastor of nearby Lumen to tell him what had happened. The latter advised him to bring the Particle to the Abbey of Herkenrode. It was August 1, 1317.

The priest left, taking the pyx with him. Along the road, extraordinary things happened. As soon as he arrived at the Benedictine monastery, he showed everybody the Host stained with Blood. Then, the face of Christ crowned with thorns appeared on the Host. This was attested to by numerous witnesses.  In the Cathedral of Hasselt there is a painting in which there is depicted a flock kneeling as the priest, carrying the sacred relic, passes by. In this place, called Sacramentsberg, a chapel was built as a perpetual memorial. From that time on, “the Blessed Sacrament of the Miracle,” which had been placed in a reliquary and exposed to public veneration, more than once protected the monastery of Herkenrode from fire. The reliquary of the miracle was kept at the Abbey until 1796, and in 1804, it was transferred to the Church of St. Quintinus in Hasselt.

Eucharistic Miracle of Middleburg- Louvain, Belgium 1374

There exists much documentation on the Eucharistic miracle.  In a monograph

written in 1905 by historian Joseph Wils, professor of the Catholic University of Louvain, entitled Le Sacrement du Miracle de Louvain, are cited almost all the contemporary documents and testimonies. In Middleburg lived a noble woman known by everybody for her great faith and devotion. The woman was also very attentive to the spiritual formation of her family and household staff. During the Lent of 1374, as she did every year in her house, she began to do penance in preparation for the coming of Easter. A few days before, a new manservant by the name of Jan was hired, who had not gone to confession for many years, in spite of the dissolute life he was living. The woman invited all the household staff to go to Mass. Jan did not dare oppose this invitation so as not to disappoint her. He attended the whole Eucharistic celebration, and when it was time to receive Holy Communion, the man approached the altar with much superficiality.

As soon as he received the Host on his tongue, the Sacrament changed into

bleeding Flesh. At once Jan took the Particle from his mouth; Blood dripped from the Sacred Flesh onto the cloth covering the altar rail. The priest realized at once what was happening, and with great emotion, carefully placed the miraculous Particle in a vessel inside the tabernacle. Jan repented and confessed his sin before everyone.

From that day on, he led an exemplary life and nourished a great devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament to the end of his life. All the church and civil authorities of the city were informed of the miraculous event and after diligent investigation the Archbishop authorized the cult of this miraculous event.

Eucharistic Miracle, Herentals, Belgium 1412

In 1412, a certain Jan van Langerstede went for lodging to a hotel not far from the little city of Herentals. This professional man was stealing sacred objects from churches and selling them all over Europe. The day after his arrival at Herentals, he went to the nearby village of Poederle. He entered the parish church and without being noticed, stole the chalice and the ciborium containing five consecrated Hosts. As he was returning to Herentals in the place known as “De Hegge” (“the fence”), he felt as if pulled by a mysterious force that was keeping him from continuing his journey. So he tried to get rid of the Hosts by throwing them into the river, but his every attempt to do so was useless. Jan was on the verge of despair when he saw a field not very far away with a big rabbit burrow where he straightaway hid the Hosts. The task took place without any trouble, and the man was able to peacefully return to Herentals. In the meantime, the city judge, Gilbert De Pape, began an investigation to discover the author of the theft in the church of Poederle. Among the suspects was our Jan. The police searched his luggage and found the chalice and the ciborium.

Jan then confessed everything except the fact that he had thrown the Hosts away. He was to be immediately hanged, and Jan had already climbed the scaffold when, encouraged by the priest to cleanse his soul before dying, completely confessed his guilt. The judge then suspended the execution and ordered Jan to indicate the exact place where he had left the Hosts. A large crowd followed them. As soon as they arrived at the field, they saw the Hosts all radiant, arranged in the form of a cross. Strangely, the Hosts remained intact, notwithstanding the weather, and they were at once brought back in procession, some to Herentals and some to Poederle, where they remained until the 16th century. On January 2, 1441, the miracle was declared authentic by the magistrate of Herentals. At the place where the Hosts were found a small chapel was built which was visited by numerous prelates, such as Jean Malderus, Bishop of Anvers in 1620, and Pope Benedict XIV in 1749. The daughter of John of Lussembourg, Elizabeth Van Görlitz, paid for the enlargement of the chapel, which later on was transformed into a shrine.