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Upcoming Lenten Mission: Eucharistic Miracles, Sacred Cloths of the Passion and Life After Life
In the eighth century, a priest in Lanciano, Italy, doubted the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Right before his eyes during Mass, the wine turned into blood. In 1971, the blood was discovered to be from cardiac tissue. Even though it was 1,200 years later, the blood was fresh. This is just one of more than 100 Catholic church-approved Eucharistic miracles. You can learn more about other Eucharistic miracles at our upcoming Lenten Mission on April 9 and 10 at the St. John the Baptist Parish Center.
Two years ago, on the day Richard Bernatchez from Faith Based Communications Apostolate was going to present for the 2020 parish mission, everything In Illinois shut down due to the pandemic. So, we are especially excited to offer this mission in 2022.
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Richard will present on three topics, each of which will have an accompanying exhibit. The exhibits will be open Saturday, April 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, April 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Saturday, Richard will present Eucharistic Miracles, Sacred Cloths of the Passion, and Life After Life. He will also present again on Eucharistic miracles to Religious Education students and anyone else on Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
“Parishioners should attend because they will be exposed to material that they seldom have an opportunity to engage with,” Richard says. “Although some of these topics are available on public media, the problem is that they are prepared for entertainment value and often include significantly erroneous information.”
Richard will present the stories of approved Eucharistic miracles and review the Scriptural basis for belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Next, he will discuss three cloths associated with Jesus’s passion — the Shroud of Turin, the Sudarium of Oviedo, and the Tunic of Argenteuil. Last, Richard will discuss reports of people who have clinically died and been resuscitated. Often, these people lose their fear of death because of what they glimpse in the afterlife.
These presentations and exhibits will hopefully impact every attendee.
“We live in a secular world that is constantly bombarding us with the message that science can explain everything about our existence,” Richard says. “This series will demonstrate that same science is actually proving the existence of God.”
Richard wants every attendee to leave with a deeper understanding and love for the Eucharist. He also hopes to inspire more people to seek Eucharistic Adoration.
Having been a presenter since 2012, it’s important to Richard to follow the directive in Mark 16:15, “He said to them, ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.’”
“It is heartwarming to obtain feedback from those whose lives have been changed through our ministry,” Richard says.
Parish secretary Denise Ramos says it is fitting to have this event during Palm Sunday weekend. As we experience the Triduum Masses, we will be reminded of what we heard and saw during the presentations and exhibits.
“I am looking forward to hearing about the many Eucharistic miracles and the Life After Life presentation,” Denise says. “These miracles can only come from God. I have always been interested in reading about near-death experiences to hear what these people have to say when they come back to life.”
Panels with Eucharistic miracles will be presented for attendees to view.
Richard Bernatchez will present at our upcoming mission.
