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Patrick Brueggen is delighted to show me around a display of Eucharistic Miracles that have occurred through the centuries, all around the world. The beautiful panels are actually the fruit of the work of a young, immensely popular saint, Carlo Acutis.
Carlo's life project is able to continue and spread thanks to the help of a society dedicated to educating about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, started by Fr. John Hardon and now led by Cardinal Raymond Burke.
Brueggen explains how Carlos' mother, Antonia, contacted Cardinal Burke saying, "I want to bring my son's work to America. How can I do this?"
"And that's how it came across the seas, and we started to develop traveling displays," Brueggen says.
Brueggen is animated in discussing some of the miracles. A favorite: Lanciano, which happened in the 700s.
There was a monk that was saying Mass. And as he elevated the host, he thought to himself, "Do I really have this power to change this bread into the Body of Christ?" And the moment he thought that, the bread that was in his hands turned to flesh, and he put it down on the corporal; the wine that was in the chalice turned to five separate little droplets of blood.
Brueggen went on to note the scientific tests that have been done on the miracle, including one that impresses him. On a scale, the blood and the flesh always even out, he says, which points to the Catholic understanding that in receiving either form of the Eucharist, and even the smallest piece of Host, you receive the whole Christ.
Read more about that here:
Brueggen continues explaining how they know that the blood type is AB, and that the flesh is part of a human heart.
"All of the miracles, throughout history," he continues, "whether the miracle in Buenos Aires, which is, you know, fairly recent -- in the 80s, I think it was, when Pope Francis was actually the archbishop down there. When they tested that, guess what the blood type was? AB. And the flesh? ... from the heart. So it's the same Jesus.
"Now, the other thing that's really kind of neat about this is when they tested the Shroud of Turin. ... What's the blood type? AB, right? So it's the same blood, it's the same body. It's the same Jesus from the Shroud of Turin when he was buried in the tomb, to the last miracle that takes place on the altar in our day.
"So if there's anybody doubting out there, you shouldn't. You should be reading these miracles and just say, this is just incredible. Why am I doubting? Why is my faith weak?
"This is because God loves us, and so he manifests himself in ways that will teach us to love him more."
And what about the experience in the Eucharistic Congress? Brueggen has enjoyed watching the crowds spend time with Carlo Acutis' research.
"The most unique thing is just watching the people's 'faith needle' light up," he says. "It's just because a lot of the [Eucharistic miracles are] unknown. And that was Carlo's whole dream, even when he was 13 years old. He said, 'How can I get this information out to the world?' Because people didn't believe. And we know that we have this Eucharistic Revival because of the lack of faith of the people, right?
That's why the bishops wanted to do this, and that's why these miracles are so important and valuable today, more so than even probably in the past.
This was all God's providence that Carlo was going to have this desire, and that he was going to die early as well. But he's still working overtime for sure, in heaven, right?
[I'm here] just watching people's faith needles, their faith needles just increased tremendously. So when they go to church, hopefully it's not boring and they'll actually think about these miracles and say, 'This is what's happening.'"
Brueggen goes on to speak about another "category" of Eucharistic miracle, when animals kneel before the Eucharist.
In this regard, he recounts a story that hasn't been officially recognized yet, about Haiti after the earthquake.
They were looking for bodies among the rubble. They had dogs that were looking for the bodies, and [the trainer] sent the dog into a church. And the dog is trained to identify if there's a body there; it will sit there and bark.
They sent the dogs into the church. Very soon they heard a dog barking, and realized, 'Oh, we have a body in there.'
Well, they found the church in ruins. The only thing that was not in rubble was the altar and the Tabernacle. The dog was sitting in front of the tabernacle, barking. ... They found consecrated hosts in [the Tabernacle]. ... So the dog even recognized the Real Presence of Our Lord.
That isn't a Vatican approved miracle, but I know that that stuff happens all the time. There are miracles that are taking place in front of our eyes all the time. We just have to have eyes to see it.
Here are pictures from the Eucharistic Miracles display, and the relics room. Article continues below.
With Brueggen's obvious love for the Eucharist, it's no surprise that he has deep devotion to Carlo Acutis.
"I've been in love with Carlo since even before he was Blessed," Brueggen says. "I worked in parish life. I was a youth minister and a faith formation director. I've been talking about Carlo since, since I first heard about him.
And in fact, I get a chance to talk with his mother once in a while. And I tell her, "It seems like I've known your son my whole life, you know." And I told her, "I sometimes call him my son, my son, Carlo." And she just laughs. But it's just an incredible experience to be able to share what Carlo has done for the world now. And I'm -- there's no words to explain how honored I am to be able to do that -- blessed."
The Eucharistic Miracles exhibit culminates in an exhibition of relics. Read more about that here. The picture below shows the faithful venerating the relics.
