On the 17th of July 2015, most of the adults who participated in the catechism class on the Eucharist in Heiloo, joined us for a visit to the Eucharistic Miracle that is kept in one of the most beautiful churches in Alkmaar, the Church of Saint Laurence.
The visit was meant as a festive closure to the intensive course, in which 14 adults learned about the biblical and theological background of the great mystery of the Eucharist, and in which the different parts of the celebration of the Holy Mass were explained, in order that they could participate more consciously and bear more spiritual fruits.
In the Church of Saint Laurence we were kindly received by the Church´s sacristan, who told us everything about the Miracle that took place in Alkmaar: a former soldier, when he was ordained priest, failed to confess grave sins and was therefore unworthy to celebrate Mass. Knowing this, he celebrated his First Mass anyway. When elevating the chalice, he trembled so heavily, that the Blood of Christ was spilled on his chasuble. The wine used for consecration was white wine, yet the Blood of Christ left tree thick drops of a substance on his garment that was very similar to human blood.
They tried unsuccessfully to burn the piece of the chasuble where the drops felt. The piece was then buried. Sometime later, a ship in danger of sinking was saved by the intervention of an angel, who however asked of the salesmen in return that they would dig up the piece of cloth and give it the veneration it merited. They found the piece intact. This piece of the chasuble is kept safe up to this day by the Catholic Church in a beautiful relic holder: a silver angel. The priest converted completely after this miracle and entered the Chartreuse Order to live a life of repentance and penance.
After we admired and venerated the relic of this Eucharistic Miracle, we went to a room next to the Church where two members of the group had prepared coffee, tea and a delicious cake for us. There we chatted for some time and then we said our good byes for this year and our see-you-next-year.
For next year, we are planning a general catechism on the Catholic Faith, and a series of catechism lessons on difficult topics, like abortion, the moral teaching of the Church, etc.
Sister from the Community St Adolphine, SSVM