Vatican recognizes Eucharistic miracle in Kerala church
Jose Kavi - May 2025
The Vatican has approved the appearance of Christ’s face on a Sacred Host during Mass in a Kerala church 12 years ago as a Eucharistic miracle.
Archbishop Joseph Pamplany of Tellicherry on May 9 said the apostolic nuncio to India had relayed the Vatican recognition to the archdiocese.
The archbishop made the official confirmation at a ceremony in Christ the King Church in Vilakkannur, a village in Kerala’s Kannur district and a parish under the archdiocese, where the miracle occurred on November 15, 2013.
Father Mathew Paravarakath, the current parish priest, told Shalom TV that he and the parish community are thrilled that their prayers for the Vatican recognition have been finally answered.
He said the recognition will help increase people’s faith in the Eucharist and strengthen the faith further.
The miracle will become a force for not only the parish but for the global Church, he added.
Seven years after the miracle, the archdiocese in January 2020 sent the Host to Rome through the apostolic nuncio for studies as part of a process to declare it as a Eucharistic miracle.
Until then, the Host was kept in the Archbishop’s House after it was removed from the parish three days after the phenomenon.
The phenomenon occurred during the morning Mass celebrated by the then parish priest Father Thomas Pathickal.
Narrating the incident, Father Pathickal then told Matters India that at the time of elevation he had noticed a spot on the large bread used for consecration. “It became larger and brighter and a face appeared soon.”
The priest said he had kept the host aside and continued Mass using another host kept in the tabernacle.
After the Mass he showed the Host to the sacristan, who told him that it was the face of Jesus. After the Mass, the priest placed the host in a monstrance and kept it on the altar for adoration.
Father Pathickal said the shining face was still seen when he locked the host inside the tabernacle around 11 am as instructed by the then Archbishop George Valiamattam.
The priest had also said the phenomenon occurred as the parish had been preparing for the Christ the King feast on November 24, 2013.
As the news of the miracle spread, thousands of people flocked to the remote village church, some 50 km east of Kannur town.
Top officials of the police and vigilance department from the district reached the place as people and vehicles blocked the road to Paithalmala, a famous spot for adventure tourism.
The archdiocese had sent a three-member team to investigate the phenomenon and they carried the host to the archdiocese.
Father Pathil explained that the Church did not encourage popularizing such incidents.
Established in 1962, the parish has more than 500 families and 1,250 Catholics, most of them second and third generation of people who had migrated there from central Kerala last century.
(Courtesy: mattersindia.com).
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