A dropped Host transforms into heart tissue.
During a Mass on October 12, 2008, in the Church of St. Anthony of Padua in Sokolka, the Eucharist accidentally fell to the ground. Following standard procedure, the priest placed the host in a container of water to dissolve, intending to dispose of it respectfully once it had dissolved completely.
A few days later, on October 19, when the pastor asked her about the condition of the host, the sacristan Sister Julia went to the safe. When she opened the door, delicate aroma of unleavened bread came from the tabernacle. When she opened the container, she saw, in the middle of the host — which was still largely intact — a curved, bright red stain, like a blood stain: a living particle of a body. The water was untainted by the color.
Photograph of the dissolved Host after being taken out of the tabernacle.
That same month, the archbishop requested histopathological studies be done on the Host. On March 30, he created an ecclesial commission to study the phenomenon.
Scientific studies
A piece of the altered host was taken and analyzed independently by two experts, Prof. Maria Sobaniec-Lotowska, MD, and Prof. Stanislaw Sulkowski, MD, in order to ensure the credibility of the results. Both are histopathologists at the Medical University of Bialystok. The studies were carried out at the university’s Department of Pathomorphology.
The specialists’ work was governed by the scientific norms and obligations for analyzing any scientific problem in accordance with the directives of the Scientific Ethics Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The studies were exhaustively described and photographed. The complete documentation was given to the Metropolitan Curia of Bialystok.
CLOSE UP: The two scientists have affirmed that it is not possible that someone had placed a fragment of a human body in the tabernacle since the fragments that made up the Host were tightly interconnected to the fibers of the human tissue, and penetrated each other, as if a fragment of “bread” suddenly transformed itself into “body”.
When the samples were taken for analysis, the undissolved part of the consecrated host had become embedded in the cloth. However, the red blood clot was as clear as ever. This transformed part of the host was dry and fragile, inextricably interwoven with the rest of the fragment, which had kept the form of bread. The sample that was taken was large enough to carry out all the necessary studies.
The results of both independent studies were in perfect agreement. They concluded that the structure of the transformed fragment of the host is identical to the myocardial (heart) tissue of a living person who is nearing death. Their findings indicated that the red material was human heart muscle tissue, specifically myocardium, which showed signs of being in agony, consistent with cardiac tissue that had suffered severe trauma. The structure of the heart muscle fibers is deeply intertwined with that of the bread, in a way impossible to achieve with human means, according to the declaration of Prof. Maria Sobaniec-Lotowska.
The studies proved that no foreign substance was added to the consecrated host; rather, part of the host took the form of heart muscle of a person near death. This kind of phenomenon is inexplicable by the natural sciences. At the same time, the Church teaches us that the consecrated host becomes the Body of Christ, by the power of His own words at the Last Supper, repeated by priests during the consecration of the Mass.
The results of the histopathological studies, dated January 21, 2009, were included in the dossier given to the Metropolitan Curia of Bialystok.
In its official statement, the Metropolitan Curia of Bialystok stated:
“The Sokolka event is not opposed to the faith of the Church; rather, it confirms it. The Church professes that, after the words of consecration, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the bread is transformed into the Body of Christ, and the wine into His Blood. Additionally, this is an invitation for all ministers of the Eucharist to distribute the Body of the Lord with faith and care, and for the faithful to receive Him with adoration.”
The local bishop, Edward Ozorowski of Białystok, initiated an investigation and confirmed that the findings were consistent with a Eucharistic miracle. The Church declared it a miraculous event, emphasizing its theological significance.
The miracle attracted significant attention from both the faithful and the media. Pilgrims from various regions began to visit Sokolka to see the miracle and participate in prayer and reflection.
The host was preserved and is now displayed for veneration in the Church of St. Anthony of Padua in Sokolka.
This article was created using content pulled from an article by Aleteia and Blessed Carlo Acutis’ website.
