The following comes from a November 19 Christian Newswire press release:
At Tuesday afternoon’s session of the meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the US bishops were unprepared for the reference to a so-called mystical gift which Father Aloysius Ellacuria, CMF, a priest proposed for sainthood, is said to have experienced.
During the pro-forma consultation requested by Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, there was an objection raised by one prelate who wanted a clarification about what Catholics believe about the Eucharist. The objection and the ensuing discussion caused an intensity so unexpected that the surprised President of the USCCB, Archbishop Donald Kurtz, had to delay the two other sainthood consultations until after the afternoon break.
What stumped the bishops was whether there is a “mystical grace” in which the Eucharistic presence remains intact after a person has received Holy Communion. For Catholics the Eucharist or “Holy Communion” is the actual Body and Blood of Jesus. The reaction was to a statement that Father Aloysius experienced this mystical grace, and this lead to the question, “What does this mean?”
Both Cardinal Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia, and Bishop Placido Rodriguez of Lubbock, Texas suggested their fellow bishops examine the life and writings of St. Anthony Mary Claret, canonized by the Catholic Church in 1950, especially his “Autobiography,” in which St. Anthony Mary Claret claims this same mystic grace.
More information at website: www.aloysius.com
Nov. 17, 2915 Transcript of USCCB Consultation of Canonization Causes
Taken from Catholicism.org A Great Patron: Saint Anthony Mary Claret
“In all his afflictions Saint Anthony had always found incomparable strength and consolation in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. And so, to fortify the little apostle in his fiercest combat, God conferred upon him a very special grace with which few other saints in the history of the Church have ever been favored.
“On August 26, 1861, finding myself at prayer in the church of the Holy Rosary, at La Granja, at seven o’clock in the evening, the Lord granted me the grace of conserving the Sacramental Species within my heart.”
continued…
continued..Saint Anthony Mary
“For the rest of his earthly days he shared with the Mother of God in a special way the divine privilege preserving incorruptibly from Communion to Communion the precious Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ in his bosom. Now a human tabernacle of Our Lord, he reflected: “I now bear within me day and night the adorable Eucharist. I must therefore be always recollected and cultivate the interior life. Moreover, according to Our Lord’s command, I must try to arrest by prayer and in other ways the evil rampant in Spain.”
continued….
continued…Saint Anthony Mary Claret
“Some months later, after obediently writing down this sublime experience, Antonio became plagued with doubt. Believing himself to be wholly unworthy of so wondrous a blessing, he perhaps felt that he might only have dreamed it. In any event, he was thinking of erasing all mention of the episode when the Blessed Mother spoke, forbidding him to do so. “Afterward, while I was saying Mass, Jesus Christ told me that He had indeed granted me this grace. Then, as if to assure the humble prelate of his worthiness of the esteemed privilege, something quite remarkable occurred on Christmas Eve in 1864. ”
continued…….
continued…. Saint Anthony Mary Claret https://catholicism.org/anthony-claret.html
“Having celebrated Midnight Mass, Monsignor Claret arose from making an unusually long thanksgiving. As he left the chapel his countenance betrayed an unmistakable look of ecstasy to Don Carmela Sala, who greeted the saint outside. At length, Antonio dispelled the mystery, confiding to his friend his precious secret: “The holy Virgin placed the Child Jesus in my arms tonight!” Only it was not really a secret. There had also been present in the chapel some Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, who confirmed that “during his thanksgiving, Father . . . had received the Child Jesus in his arms. The Blessed Virgin had given the Child to him.”
Thank you, Catherine, for your quoting these episodes from the life of St. Anthony Mary Claret. Both are similar to the case of Fr. Aloysius Ellacuria, CMF. In both cases there are nuns who witnessed a manifestation of the event. For me it’s quite remarkable what you recount about St. Anthony Mary Claret, because Fr. Aloysius also spoke most highly of his, as St. Anthony Mary Claret is the founder of the Claretian Missionaries.
Thank you, Father Manion, for your response! The video does show the visual dynamic of the consultation. The testimonies of the two bishops who knew Father Aloysius, Ellacuria CMF, were very moving. These testimonies clearly spoke of the humility and holiness of Father Aloysius Ellacuria C.M.F. How fitting, that even in this consultation, the shared memories of this humble and holy priest still drew and levitated the attention to the founder of the Claretians, Saint Anthony Mary Claret. God is allowing His faithful servant Father Ellacuria CMF., to still humbly teach and remind His shepherds about this unique supernatural gift that was obtained from receiving the Blessed Sacrament.
Many of the bishops probably do not believe in the divine presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Because V2 gave us unclear statements, such as Christ is present where two or three are gathered in His name, and Christ is also present in the Holy Scriptures, as well as in the Eucharist, one can ascertain that confusion and ignorance are widespread in the post conciliar Catholic Church.
Herman, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them” doesn’t come from Vatican II. It comes from Christ as recorded in Sacred Scripture in Matthew 18:20.
Are you SURE you want to go on and accuse Vatican II and the Bishops of things like not believing in or teaching the real presence when you yourself seem so ignorant of basic scripture?
YFC– You seem not to understand the tremendous problems of Vatican II— which is so unusual! You do not seem to be a devout Catholic, interested in your Faith, at all! Vatican II DID distort the way in which our holy Faith is presented, to include how Christ is viewed! The view of Christ has been skewed, in a worldly, sort of “Protestantized” way, and all of the Sacraments have been downplayed! Christ has now been presented in a less-than-Divine manner, and the Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament also has been downplayed! Many good Catholics are very upset, because Christ is very HOLY– our DIVINE Savior, the Son of God!
Yes, Your Fellow Catholic, you are correct in the information you provided to Herman. I am with you that far. And I even understand your challenge to Herman, but that very last phrase was unnecessarily insulting. I think you might receive less venom yourself when A. you are actually correct and B. you choose not to be biting at the same time that you are offering information. I find that you yourself are subject to a great deal of vitriol, even when you are correct, because nobody likes a mean person, and lots of emotions are raised at just seeing your name, for reasons you know very well. Make an effort to play nice with the other kiddies in the sandbox, YFC, and some people will hear you when you are right, but without the digs.
….Our Lord is substantially present in the Blessed Sacrament, YFC. Not the same. But I am SURE not surprised to see you attempt to counter the reality that the substantial presence of Our Lord’s Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament has been greatly undermined since VII’s attempt to appease.
To say that our Lord is substantially present in the Blessed Sacrament is ambiguous. The term frequently used is “really, truly and substantially present.”
The Protestants originally were skeptical of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, and many thought that the Sacraments either were not true, or unimportant! Many Protestants also believed it was good enough, to find Our Lord in Sacred Scripture, and in the company of fellow believers, as is stated in the New Testament! Vatican II has tried to foolishly incorporate these Protestant beliefs, due to political, ecumenical efforts, that were very poor — and has confused and misled good, devout Catholics! Also, of course– Protestants are very famous for not believing at all, in the Real Presence of Christ, in the Eucharist! But Protestant beliefs are sadly– HERETICAL!!
I and many others, have always wanted to know more about the great and saintly Fr. Ellacuria! He would be a California saint, if someday canonized! I would like to know more about this wonderful Eucharistic grace that he experienced, along with St. Anthony Mary Claret! Can Fr. Manion please explain it completely, for us??
I am not well versed in these matters, but what I recall is that Father Aloysius received this Eucharistic grace on Holy Thursday in the chapel of the convent where Sister Mary Mediatrix lived. The grace was that of retaining the Sacred Species, i.e. the Holy Eucharist, from one communion to the next. To confirm this Sister Mary Mediatrix told him that Our Lord has given him the grace of doing miracles. At the time Fr. Aloysius was chaplain and spiritual director to this order of nuns. The other nuns in the convent recognized in Sister Mary Mediatrix closeness to God, and many of the nuns were edified by her example and remarkably strove to become better in all ways. The fuller context makes all of this more credible, and the book about…
(continued)
… and the book entitled “Sister Mary Mediatrix” speaks about Fr. Aloysius’ spiritual direction of this nun. The book is based in part on letters which Father left in Phoenix with his secretary in the 1960’s… before he become pastor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in San Antonio, TX. The book describes how Fr. Aloysius came to receive this mystical grace, among other things, and the event will be examined by experts in these matters. It is my understanding that aside from the historical commission, there will be a theological commission and possibly a commission on mystical theology, as there is an evident need for this in the case of Fr. Aloysius and the various miracles attributed to him by different people…
I wish the Laity could fire those Bishops who do not know the Faith – especially about the Eucharist, etc.
Everything is answered in Sacred Scripture, and the “Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition”.
All they have to do is read these two wonderful books.
See CCC # 2014,
I don’t get it. Is this the answer to their question? It’s what my 4th grade Sister taught us.
6 Q: How long does Jesus Christ abide within us after Holy Communion?
A: After Holy Communion Jesus Christ abides within us by His grace as long as we commit no mortal sin; and He abides within us by His Real Presence until the sacramental species are consumed.
Noel
Noella, What the good Sisters taught you is from our Catechism, and is all true! However- these two Saints had a very different experience of Our Lord, after receiving Him in Holy Communion! The Sacred Species did not simply remain within them until after being consumed– rather, somehow, an incorruptible Tabernacle of the Blessed Sacrament occurred, which lasted from Communion to Communion! Therefore– the two Saints could adore Our Lord, at any time, within their own hearts! Very unusual, and I am not sure, as to all of the details, of what these two holy Saints experienced! What really happened??
When we have seen a laxity in every kind of teaching of the finer points of the Catholic Faith since the forming of the U.S. Bishop’s Council, is it any surprise that the belief in the lasting blessing of the reception of the Holy Species of the Eucharist should be questioned? We need a whole new flock of Bishops in the United States.
I myself have been a witness to the miracles/healings that Fr. Aloysius has granted through his intercession. I visit his gravesite @ San Gabriel Mission every so often to pray a Rosary and ask for his intercession.
I personally met Father Aloysius on several occasions, and I anointed him when he was dying at St. Monica’s Hospital (?). I also concelebrated at his funeral Mass at San Gabriel Mission. He was a very holy and saintly man, and being in his presence, you could sense the divine presence. I have offered many Masses for the repose of his soul, and I hope he is praying for me in Heaven.
Thanks so much, Fr. Karl, for your post! That is very inspiring! Could you please explain further, the Eucharistic miracle, of these two Saints?? I know it is not just the miraculous apparition of Christmas Eve, with the Blessed Mother placing the Holy Child Jesus into St. Anthony’s arms. It is a miracle of the Eucharist inside these two Saints, after reception of Holy Communion, in which the Sacred Species remains intact, until the next Communion. I ordered St. Anthony’s “Autobiography,” translated into English– and I hope I can find a clear explanation!
It is good to hear from you again, Fr. Karl.
I agree, Anne T. Good to hear from you again, Fr. Karl!
The hospital was St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica. My error. Mea culpa !
The fact of the Real Presence of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is the primary reason that I entered the Catholic church 35 years ago. I at last had a personal encounter with my Lord in the Holy Eucharist. What an overwhelming privilege, awesome and shattering. Our Lord humbling Himself to enter my unworthy soul! I still tremble when I receive Him! God help those who do not believe.
The most perfect presence of Christ among us is His sacramental presence in the Blessed Sacrament. This comes about through the miracle that takes place during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, called transubstantiation. Yes, Christ is also preset where two or three are gathered in His name, and He is also present in the Holy Scriptures, but these are NOT as perfect as the Eucharistic Presence. I blame V2 for the blurred and not concise language which is often used in order to please modernists.