A special display is coming to St. Augustine and St. Edwards Catholic churches early in December that has local organizers hoping it will boost the faith of Christian believers. The International Eucharistic Miracles exhibit is a collection of miracles attributed to the Eucharist itself and collected by Blessed Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager who died from leukemia in 2009 when he was just 16 years old. “I think the goal is to make people more aware of all of these miracles that have existed …,” said Father Andrew Beerman A select number of panels will be split between the two churches with availability to the public. At St. Augustine the display will be displayed downstairs in Jennings Hall Dec. 5, 7-8 and in St. Edwards on Dec. 6 and 8 in the family room. There will also be presentations for both the public and for Pacelli Catholic Schools by Patrick Brueggen at different times. Acutis himself will be canonized as a saint in April of 2025, and his work in gathering all of these miracles related to the Eucharist is an example of his dedication, said Jaci Brennan. Two miracles have been attributed to Acutis. One involves the intercession of Mattheus Vianna, from Brazil, who was diagnosed with annular pancreas, a rare congenital disease. His prognosis did not seem promising, and by the age of three, his doctors feared he would not survive the surgery. Regarding the second miracle, in a decree on May 23, Pope Francis approved the miraculous healing of a 21-year-old young woman from Costa Rica named Valeria Valverde who was near death after seriously injuring her head in a bicycle accident while studying in Florence in 2022. “That Carlo was born in 1991 and he played video games and created a website — he’s very young,” Brennan said. “He was very much involved in his community in serving the poor and making sure they had extra blankets if they needed it. He was an amazing role model for young people in saying you don’t have to do heroic things, you just have to do things for the lord for those around him.” The Eucharist itself is a commemoration of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ in that the bread and wine used in the ritual is a representation of the body and blood of Christ. In the Roman Catholic traditions, however, the Eucharist isn’t just a representation. Rather, the bread and wine are believed to be transubstantiation into the actual flesh and blood of Jesus. Through that belief, it creates a miracle at every mass. Beerman cited a Pew Research Center poll conducted in 2019 that reflected only 30% of Catholics believe the Eucharist actually becomes the body and blood of Christ. “Everyone else believes it’s just a symbol. It’s just bread that symbolizes Jesus,” he said. “The faith of the church since the very beginning has been that it is actually the body and blood of Christ.” The displays at both churches will document those miracles outside of mass centered around the Eucharist. “Throughout history there have been Eucharistic miracles where something happens with regard to the Eucharist to illustrate that this is actually the case,” Beerman said. As an example, Beerman told the story of St. Christina of Bolsena, a Roman martyr who died for her faith in 295 AD. In 1264, a priest who was doubting that the Eucharist was actually the body and blood, but as he was saying the consecration, blood began flowing from the host. The stains on the cloth of the altar and on the marble floor were preserved. Another that can be traced back to the 800s demonstrated that the host actually turned to flesh and that the wine turned to actual blood. Beerman said that a scientific study in the 1970s showed that both were actual skin and blood and that flesh was found to be muscular tissue of the heart and that proteins and chemicals in the blood showed it to be fresh human blood. “There’s all kinds of stories that throughout the centuries and throughout different parts of the world that people basically don’t know about. The Eucharistic miracle,” Beerman said. “Many people can testify to other stories that lead them to greater faith that the Eucharist is Jesus presented to us.” While the public will have the chance to witness the display and hold special service at both sites, including adoration and communion, there will also be a component for the students of Pacelli that will educate both traditionally and spiritually. Pacelli Advancement Director Nicholas McGrath said that students between fourth and 12th grade could come away with a better understanding of the Catholic faith through this display. “It is who we are,” he said. “We pray together, go to mass together. Eucharist is the core part of mass for us.” “Forty percent of the student body at Pacelli isn’t Catholic, so to give them a much more tangible introduction to what the Eucharist is and how it’s been represented and portrayed over the last 2,000 years — there is something more here,” he continued. “God is actually engaged with who we are and what we become.” The display, as well as the example set by Acutis, also holds the potential of demonstrating the value of simply being a good person. “It’s important to see the roles and that the saints in all of the churches, that we have good holy role models from every walk of life in every century in recorded history in every continent,” McGrath said. “That there are people who live heroic virtue in every day of their life. Students could relate to (Acutis) very deeply.” All three view the display as insightful for those that visit over the course of its run, but by the time it leaves Beerman hopes it comes down to something more introspective. “From my perspective, I would say I hope there is a growth in faith in Jesus,” he said. “Just like when Jesus was on Earth, there were a lot of people that saw him, but didn’t really believe he was God where the apostles did.” “That’s the hope. That there is a growth of faith of Jesus,” he continued. “It’s not about us or even the church, per se. It’s about Jesus and coming to know him and he’s still with us even today.” Brennan said that the displays could be a reaffirmation of truth that Catholics have come to know. “We’re the only ones that really believe in a complete transubstantiation of the Eucharist and that’s very different and that means there is a truth and that’s a truth that historical people have been willing to die for and guide them through life,” she said. “That seems like a pretty good rock.” Eucharistic Miracles Display St. Augustine Parish (405 Fourth Street NW) Dec. 5 Display and refreshments, 2-8 p.m. Speaker Patrick Brueggen, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Adoration, 7:30-8:30 p.m. Dec. 7 Display and refreshments, 2-8 p.m. Confession, 3:30-4:15 p.m. Mass, 4:30 p.m. Adoration, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Dec. 8 Display and refreshments, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Confession, 9:30-10:15 a.m. Mass, 10:30 a.m. Adoration, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. St. Edwards Parish (2000 Oakland Avenue West) Dec. 6 Display and refreshments, 2-8 p.m. Adoration, 5-7 p.m. Dec. 8 Display and refreshments, 9:30 a.m. to noon Confession, 7:45-8:15 a.m. Mass, 8:30 a.m. Adoration, 9:30-11 a.m. The post Celebrating Miracles: Display documenting Eucharistic miracles coming to Austin appeared first on Austin Daily Herald.