On November 7, 1999 a solemn Mass was held in the minor Basilica of Lourdes. The Archbishop of Lyon at the time, the late Cardinal Billé, was the celebrant and concelebrating with him were the archbishop of France, Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, a number of French bishops, a number of priests and all the superiors of Trappist monasteries worldwide. The ceremony was broadcast live on French television. On the altar were two hosts to be consecrated, much larger than those used by Italian priests, as is customary in France. At the beginning of the Mass, the two hosts appear in the film to be stacked one above the other, so that one cannot tell that their are two instead of one: they are resting on the paten, a type of tray, and are perfectly matched up. The film shows various camera angles showing them in this position and there is no doubt that the two hosts are physically stacked one atop the other and resting on the paten. At the moment of the "epiclesis", that is, when the priest extends his hands and invokes the Holy Spirit, the phenomenon is evident. One sees the upper host detach from the lower one and levitate. The motion is impressive: the host is raised as though underneath it a force is released and it oscillates three or four times in the air before assuming a fixed position, horizontal, suspended about a centimeter, and remains in this position until the end of the Canon. The video shows various moments of the ceremony during which the concelebrants move around and it is thus possible to see, between the levitating host and the host resting on the paten, the colors of the vestments of the celebrants.

Author: mdebrus
Keywords: eucharistic miracle Mass eucharist France Cardinal bishop Trappist
Added: February 1, 2007