Near East Rand Youth Deanery hosts Exhibition of the Eucharistic Miracles
By Kati Dijane – Saturday, 12 October 2024, marked the feast day of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a millennial whose canonisation was approved and announced by Pope Francis and a Consistory of Cardinals earlier this year.
Acutis, an Italian teenager, was known for his computer prowess, an instrument he used to spread his love for the Holy Eucharist. To celebrate his feast day, the youth in the Near East Rand Deanery organised the International Exhibition of the Eucharistic Miracles at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Katlehong.
The exhibition of miracles, originally designed and created by Acutis, began at 9 am. The first guest, Ms Mammuso Elizabeth Makoa, from the Diocese of Witbank, talked about the 160 approved miracles of the Eucharist on display, most of which took place in Italy, over the centuries.
She also appealed to the youth to fall in love with the Eucharist – the source and summit of our faith – and believe in the real presence of Jesus in it. “There is no greater prayer in the Catholic church than Mass,” she said, adding that during the three times that the blessed sacrament is elevated by the priest, (the first time being the transubstantiation), people need to also raise their prayers to God.
Fr Oupa Matseke, another guest speaker, highlighted the difficulty of appreciating the Eucharist during the noise, whether internally or externally, and pointed to the importance of stillness, the hallmark or deepest kind of silence to hear God. Silence, he added, is a trait every Catholic should have to surrender to the mystery of the presence of Jesus in the Tabernacle.
Fr Sefako Santawana, youth chaplain, was also present at the exhibition. He later celebrated Mass and led the adoration and benediction. Thando Mkhize, the youth chairperson, expressed gratitude to everyone who was present.
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