Eucharistic miracles on display at St. Joseph church

An international exhibit showcasing miracles will be making its way to Owatonna over the next week.

The Eucharistic Miracles of the World will be displayed beginning Saturday until Thursday, May 4 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Owatonna. The collection has made its way around the globe over the past several years.

There will be 152 miracles on display in St. Joseph’s Hall, according to Bridget Kluesner, one of the organizers of the event. Each miracle is depicted on 24 by 26-foot boards.

“Everybody is welcome to see this display,” said Kluesner. “We want everyone to see how God’s hand moves in the world.”
The display was created by Carlo Acutis, a Catholic Italian teenager who died in 2006 after battling leukemia. From a young age, Acutis seemed to have a special love for God, even though his parents weren’t especially devout. In his short 15 years, Acutis touched thousands of lives with his testimony of faith and deep devotion to the Holy Eucharist.

Acutis was a computer programmer and built a website cataloguing and promoting Eucharistic miracles. On the site, he told people that “the more often we receive the Eucharist, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on this earth we will have a foretaste of heaven.” He started the years-long project when he was 11 years old.

After Auctis’ death, a traveling exhibition of the teen’s Eucharistic miracles began. It has traveled to dozens of countries across five continents and visited more than 3,000 churches.

Kluesner has viewed the Eucharistic miracles only online. Upon looking at them, she found herself saying, “This is impossible, it can’t be true.”

But the display is fully endorsed by the Vatican. “Why would the Vatican support this if the miracles aren’t true,” Kluesner says. “These are all miracles that have been proven,” she added.

In the 21^st century, there have been four eucharistic miracles recognized by the Catholic Church.

“This is a great thing for our parish,” said Kluesner, noting anything to strengthen the faith of people is important. “We just want people to come to see what can happen if you put the trust in the Lord.”

There will be no charge to see the exhibit. However, if anyone would like to make donations, they will go directly to the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Kluesner said.

Hours for the display are Saturday- 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday through Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. No food or drinks will be allowed in the hall during the exhibit.

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International Exhibit

What: Eucharistic Miracles of the World display

Where: St. Joseph’s Catholic Church- Owatonna

When: Saturday through Thursday, May 4

Cost: Free

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