Archdiocese goes slow on “Jesus on Host” phenomenon Published: 4:18 pm, November 16, 2013 Story By: mattersindia reporter Fr George Kudilil, chancellor, Tellicherry Vilakannur: Officials of Tellicherry archdiocese have taken a cautious approach to the phenomenon of Jesus’s face appearing on the sacred bread during Mass at one of its parish churches. “We have decided to wait and see,” Fr George Kudilil, archdiocesan chancellor who led a three-member to study the phenomenon, told mattersindia on Saturday, a day after a parish priest saw Jesus’s face on the Host as he bent down to kiss the altar at the time of prayer to the Holy Spirit in the Syro-Malabar rite Mass. Fr Kudilil said his team spent four hours at Christ the King Church at Vilakannur in Kannur district on Friday to study the situation. “There is no explanation for the phenomenon. The figure on the Host does not seem to be manmade,” the elderly priest said. However, the archdiocese does not want give too much publicity to the development, he added. Fr Thomas Pathickal, parish priest, Vilakannur The probe team, however, allowed parish priest Fr Thomas Pathickal to exhibit the Host on Friday afternoon. The archdiocese had earlier directed the priest to keep the Host locked inside the tabernacle until the probe completed its study. He had kept the Host for public viewing after the Mass yesterday. “We do not want to block popular piety,” Fr Kudilil explained the reason for permitting the public display of the Host. The 54-year-old priest said the team found the entire area filled with people and vehicles blocking roads for several kilometers. He said the situation had become unwieldy as the crowd insisted seeing the Host. The archdiocesan official also said they have no plan at present to subject the Host to scientific tests. He recalled a similar event at a church in Tiruvalla Syro Malankara archdiocese some six years ago. The figure on the Host there gradually vanished after a week, he said. “We want to see what happens here,” he added to justify the archdiocese’s caution. Fr. Kudilil also explained it takes long years for the Church to declare such a phenomenon as a miracle. Meanwhile thousands of people from faraway places continue to flock to the tiny church in a hilly village, some 50 km east of Kannur town. The parish has placed the Host in a monstrance and kept on the altar for public viewing in the morning and evening. On Saturday afternoon, some 2,000 men, women and children braved hot sun as they queued up for their chance to see what many said was “the miracle.” K J Thomas from Anjarakandy, who visited the church the past two days, said he found the Host bigger and brighter on Saturday afternoon. Another visitor, Antony Varuvankal, who came with his entire family from Tabor parish some 40 kilometers away, said he could not explain the joy he experienced after seeing Jesus’s face. “This is a rare blessing,” he told mattersindia. Jessy Antony, who came from Pottenpilavu some 15 kilometers away, said tears flowed from her eyes as she knelt before the altar. She had left home around 5:30 am to attend the 7 am Mass in the church. When she reached the church there were some 500 people but by the time the Mass got over around 3,000-5,000 people had gathered, the mother of two said. The visitors included priests and nuns from near and far away places. “I came not because I do not believe Jesus’s presence in the Eucharist. However, seeing his face on the Host had doubled my faith,” said Sister Princy from Malom parish, a member of the Congregation of Mother Carmel. Fr. John Mullakkara, parish priest of Thirumeni who came to see the Host, said God might be giving signs when the Church is observing the Year of Faith. “The Church has to do lots studies to see if it is a man-made phenomenon,” the priest added. mattersindia/archdiocese-goes-slow-on-jesus-on-host-phenomenon/
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 13:55:25 +0000