March 31, 2014

Corpus Christi, 1802

It was Corpus Christi day, 1802, in the village of Creteil. A concordat had been made between Napolean and Vatican, allowing Catholic churches to re-open in France. To celebrate both events, as well as the feast day of the village’s patron saint, a procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the streets was planned.

A young girl named Augustina Mourette lived in the village. For eighteen months she had lost the use of her arms, legs and voice. On the day of the celebration, another young girl named Henrietta Crete visited Augustina. She came with several companions, all of them dressed in white and wearing veils on their heads. Their intention was to take Augustina to the procession and be present when the Eucharistic Presence passed, as people had done with the sick at the time of Christ.

The girls carried Augustina in an armchair to a spot near the outdoor altar located at the end of the procession route. When the priest approached with the Blessed Sacrament, the girls all knelt around Augustina in prayer. The priest noticed them, stopped before Augustina, raised the monstrance above her and blessed her, reciting the customary blessing of the sick. When he had finished, those present witnessed Augustina rise from her chair and kneel in prayer and thanksgiving herself. She had been completely cured.

(Adapted from Eucharistic Miracles, by Joan Carroll Cruz (Charlotte, North Carolina, Tan Books, 2010) p. 211.)

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