Eucharistic Miracles exhibit continues to gain wide-reaching recognition
October 31, 2023 at 10:55 a.m.
A powerful witness of Christ’s Real Presence, the Eucharistic Miracles exhibit based on the website created by Blessed Carlo Acutis has circulated through 24 parishes of the Trenton Diocese since September 2022, and reservations for its display have already filled the next 12 months of the calendar.
Attesting to its popularity, and in concert with the National Eucharistic Revival, the exhibit’s travel in two-week intervals will now include parishes in the Camden and Metuchen Dioceses, and even the Archdioceses of Newark and Philadelphia.
Comprehensive information on the diocesan website is believed to have contributed to the exhibit’s attendance.
“We have even received phone calls from other states asking to host the exhibit,” said Josue Arriola, director of the diocesan Department of Evangelization and Family Life.
Something for Everyone
As of mid-October, the audio recording of “Miracles of the Eucharist: Across the World,” including six segments – one for each “room” of the circular display – was downloaded 2,497 times worldwide. The audio is accessible via QR codes within the display; its script incorporates introductory content from the Blessed Carlo Acutis website.
“Our exhibit is an experience,” Arriola said of the room design, which was a collaboration among various artists, inspired in part by observing museum exhibits. “We decided to display the miracles chronologically … It’s mainly photos [so that it’s] accessible to all ages. You’re immersed – and you encounter the miracle of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament at the end.”
Parishes that wish to host the exhibit need a dedicated space – the display is 26 feet wide by eight feet tall – but all the logistics are handled by a diocesan crew.
William Rodas, member of the Pescadores de Hombres (Fishers of Men) ministry in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral Parish, Trenton, has managed the exhibit’s building, teardown and transportation between each display site since January.
“We take care of everything,” he said. “We just need someone to hold the door for us.”
When discussing the logistics with Arriola, Rodas and he agreed “we need to find people who really love [the Eucharist] and want to learn about the miracles.” He then invited members of his ministry group to be part of the team; they often listen to the audio files as they drive the exhibit to its next location.
“This is a way we can pass down the faith to parishes and help to grow Eucharistic Adoration,” Rodas said, “especially with the children, since they are the future of the Church.”
After his parish received the display, Arriola was notified by a deacon that he witnessed the crew of about a dozen men kneeling in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in the exhibit before building it.
“William said ‘this is what we do every time – we talk to Jesus … We want to be in touch with him, and we pray for the people who are going to be here,’” Arriola said. When there are several days between the exhibit’s assigned locations, “they bring the panels to their houses and retouch them, so the display is always like brand new.” The Pescadores de Hombres members even donate their moving stipend from the Diocese to needy families of Guatemala.
Inspiring Devotion
“It’s just magnificent; I hope many people take advantage of the opportunity to see it,” said Fran Stinsman, recently retired pastoral associate at Sacred Heart Parish, Riverton, which hosted the exhibit Oct. 15-27. “We can take for granted what we’ve had all along.”
Stinsman estimated 150 people have seen the exhibit at Sacred Heart. The parish opted to use a repository rather than a monstrance to display the Eucharist in the exhibit so it could be secured overnight.
“It should be emphasized with the children that Blessed Carlo, who died at 15, was very young when he compiled this,” Stinsman offered, noting that parish religious education coordinator, Bonnie Campbell, arranged for several classes of students to view the exhibit.
People were “impressed by the number of miracles, and that so many were in very recent history,” said Deacon Frank Golazeski of St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville, which displayed the exhibit Sept. 26-Oct. 13.
He hoped that those who viewed it took away “not simply a rote belief that the consecrated elements are Jesus, but that they can see it as a reasonable idea to believe in.”
“God speaks to us in several ways,” he continued. “One of those is through the miraculous events in salvation history. The exhibit cannot merely be a means of deepening the belief of the faithful but can also be the tipping point for anyone on the Real-Presence fence.”
________________________________________
Where Will the Exhibit Be Next?
Parishes of the Dioceses of Trenton, Camden, Metuchen and Paterson, and Archdioceses of Newark and Philadelphia will host the Eucharistic Miracles exhibit:
2023 Dates:
Nov. 6 to Nov. 20 • Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Maple Shade
Nov. 27 to Dec. 11 • St. Jude Church, Blairstown (Metuchen Diocese)
Dec. 12 to Jan. 1, 2024 • St. David the King, Princeton Junction
2024 Dates:
Jan. 2 to 15 • Our Lady of Grace, Fairview (Archdiocese of Newark)
Jan. 15 to Jan. 30 • St. Denis, Manasquan
Feb. 11 to Feb. 24 • Christ the King, Haddonfield (Camden Diocese)
March 6 to March 23 • St. Benedict, Holmdel
March 23 to April 6 • Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Feasterville Trevose, Pa. (Archdiocese of Philadelphia)
April 12 to April 26 • St. Joseph, Somers Point (Camden Diocese)
May 1 to May 14 • St. John the Baptist, Fairview (Archdiocese of Newark)
May 15 to May 29 • St. Veronica, Howell
June 1 to June 15 • St. Mary, Wharton/Dover (Paterson Diocese)
June 24 to July 8 • St. Catherine Laboure, Middletown
July 14 to July 28 • St. Thomas More, Manalapan
Sept. 22 to Oct. 5 • Sacred Heart, Trenton
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A powerful witness of Christ’s Real Presence, the Eucharistic Miracles exhibit based on the website created by Blessed Carlo Acutis has circulated through 24 parishes of the Trenton Diocese since September 2022, and reservations for its display have already filled the next 12 months of the calendar.
Attesting to its popularity, and in concert with the National Eucharistic Revival, the exhibit’s travel in two-week intervals will now include parishes in the Camden and Metuchen Dioceses, and even the Archdioceses of Newark and Philadelphia.
Comprehensive information on the diocesan website is believed to have contributed to the exhibit’s attendance.
“We have even received phone calls from other states asking to host the exhibit,” said Josue Arriola, director of the diocesan Department of Evangelization and Family Life.
Something for Everyone
As of mid-October, the audio recording of “Miracles of the Eucharist: Across the World,” including six segments – one for each “room” of the circular display – was downloaded 2,497 times worldwide. The audio is accessible via QR codes within the display; its script incorporates introductory content from the Blessed Carlo Acutis website.
“Our exhibit is an experience,” Arriola said of the room design, which was a collaboration among various artists, inspired in part by observing museum exhibits. “We decided to display the miracles chronologically … It’s mainly photos [so that it’s] accessible to all ages. You’re immersed – and you encounter the miracle of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament at the end.”
Parishes that wish to host the exhibit need a dedicated space – the display is 26 feet wide by eight feet tall – but all the logistics are handled by a diocesan crew.
William Rodas, member of the Pescadores de Hombres (Fishers of Men) ministry in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral Parish, Trenton, has managed the exhibit’s building, teardown and transportation between each display site since January.
“We take care of everything,” he said. “We just need someone to hold the door for us.”
When discussing the logistics with Arriola, Rodas and he agreed “we need to find people who really love [the Eucharist] and want to learn about the miracles.” He then invited members of his ministry group to be part of the team; they often listen to the audio files as they drive the exhibit to its next location.
“This is a way we can pass down the faith to parishes and help to grow Eucharistic Adoration,” Rodas said, “especially with the children, since they are the future of the Church.”
After his parish received the display, Arriola was notified by a deacon that he witnessed the crew of about a dozen men kneeling in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in the exhibit before building it.
“William said ‘this is what we do every time – we talk to Jesus … We want to be in touch with him, and we pray for the people who are going to be here,’” Arriola said. When there are several days between the exhibit’s assigned locations, “they bring the panels to their houses and retouch them, so the display is always like brand new.” The Pescadores de Hombres members even donate their moving stipend from the Diocese to needy families of Guatemala.
Inspiring Devotion
“It’s just magnificent; I hope many people take advantage of the opportunity to see it,” said Fran Stinsman, recently retired pastoral associate at Sacred Heart Parish, Riverton, which hosted the exhibit Oct. 15-27. “We can take for granted what we’ve had all along.”
Stinsman estimated 150 people have seen the exhibit at Sacred Heart. The parish opted to use a repository rather than a monstrance to display the Eucharist in the exhibit so it could be secured overnight.
“It should be emphasized with the children that Blessed Carlo, who died at 15, was very young when he compiled this,” Stinsman offered, noting that parish religious education coordinator, Bonnie Campbell, arranged for several classes of students to view the exhibit.
People were “impressed by the number of miracles, and that so many were in very recent history,” said Deacon Frank Golazeski of St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville, which displayed the exhibit Sept. 26-Oct. 13.
He hoped that those who viewed it took away “not simply a rote belief that the consecrated elements are Jesus, but that they can see it as a reasonable idea to believe in.”
“God speaks to us in several ways,” he continued. “One of those is through the miraculous events in salvation history. The exhibit cannot merely be a means of deepening the belief of the faithful but can also be the tipping point for anyone on the Real-Presence fence.”
________________________________________
Where Will the Exhibit Be Next?
Parishes of the Dioceses of Trenton, Camden, Metuchen and Paterson, and Archdioceses of Newark and Philadelphia will host the Eucharistic Miracles exhibit:
2023 Dates:
Nov. 6 to Nov. 20 • Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Maple Shade
Nov. 27 to Dec. 11 • St. Jude Church, Blairstown (Metuchen Diocese)
Dec. 12 to Jan. 1, 2024 • St. David the King, Princeton Junction
2024 Dates:
Jan. 2 to 15 • Our Lady of Grace, Fairview (Archdiocese of Newark)
Jan. 15 to Jan. 30 • St. Denis, Manasquan
Feb. 11 to Feb. 24 • Christ the King, Haddonfield (Camden Diocese)
March 6 to March 23 • St. Benedict, Holmdel
March 23 to April 6 • Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Feasterville Trevose, Pa. (Archdiocese of Philadelphia)
April 12 to April 26 • St. Joseph, Somers Point (Camden Diocese)
May 1 to May 14 • St. John the Baptist, Fairview (Archdiocese of Newark)
May 15 to May 29 • St. Veronica, Howell
June 1 to June 15 • St. Mary, Wharton/Dover (Paterson Diocese)
June 24 to July 8 • St. Catherine Laboure, Middletown
July 14 to July 28 • St. Thomas More, Manalapan
Sept. 22 to Oct. 5 • Sacred Heart, Trenton