BLACKWOOD – The first miracle attributed to Blessed Carlo Acutis involved the prayers of a Brazilian mother, Luciana Vianna, asking for his intercession for her son, Mattheus, who was born with a birth defect known as annular pancreas. Mattheus was healed, and Blessed Carlo was beatified Oct. 10, 2020, by Pope Francis.
Last Sunday, a mother from Woodbury Heights visited the Blessed Carlo exhibit at Our Lady of Hope Parish with intercession prayers in her heart for the healing of her own son.
Gina Haring, a parishioner of Infant Jesus Parish, was present in the parish chapel with her 8 year-old son, Antonio. The two examined the stories and photos of the Eucharist and Blessed Carlo.
“Antonio was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes two years ago,” she explained as Antonio checked his blood sugar. “I’ve been praying for Blessed Carlo’s intercession. The doctors have said there is no cure, but the Lord is much stronger than that.”
His chronic condition means that his pancreas makes little or no insulin, the hormone the body uses to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells.
As an alert went off in Antonio’s diabetic kit, signaling low glucose levels, he opened a box of Jujubes. He then said a prayer in front of a candle and angels, which are part of the exhibit, and the words of Scripture: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
“I really like this exhibit. Hopefully one day, I’m cured,” he said.
Years of cataloguing
Before and after his beatification, Blessed Carlo had been a model of youthful joy and faith to many. Born May 3, 1991, he was diagnosed with leukemia as a teenager and vowed “to suffer for the Lord, for the pope and the Church.” Before his death in 2006 at the age of 15, he spent years cataloguing reported Eucharistic miracles around the globe and created a website to show them all.
The interactive exhibit visiting Blackwood, which includes interconnected rooms with text and photos, and an audio component for guided tours in English and Spanish, shows the expansiveness of his work. Made possible through a partnership with the Diocese of Trenton, which created the project, the exhibit will be on view at Our Lady of Hope until Nov. 5. It is scheduled to visit Christ the King Parish, Haddonfield, in February, and Saint Joseph Parish, Somers Point, in April.
The tour begins with the Eucharistic miracle of Scete (Egypt), from the first centuries of the Catholic Church, which tells of a monk doubting the Real Presence of Jesus in the consecrated bread and wine, and the Infant Jesus appearing in place of the bread after the consecration. The exhibit ends in 2013 in Legnica (Poland), where a host that had fallen on the ground during Mass at Saint Hyacinth’s Church on Christmas Day later produced a red spot. After scientific analysis, results showed that the host had similarities to “human heart muscle with alterations that often appear during the agony.”
In-between are stories from Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Belgium and other countries, where Jesus showed His glory through the host.
A greater appreciation
From Cherry Hill’s Catholic Community of Christ Our Light, friends Marilyn Aron and Giannine DeAngelis visited the exhibit with renewed vigor and determination. “I got the chills just walking around; it filled me with new faith in the Eucharist,” DeAngelis said, adding that the exhibit gave her more appreciation for the Mass.
“It’s easy to get caught up in the negativity of this world and forget what Jesus gives us – himself. It’s very inspiring,” she said.
Aron said she was impressed with the breadth and depth of Blessed Carlo’s research.
“He did a wonderful job,” she said, adding that especially after her experience with the exhibit, she knows “I have to get to Adoration more.”
The Dickerson family – father Bryan, mother Lisa, and children Bella, Peter and Timothy – made their way through the exhibit after attending the parish’s 11:30 a.m. liturgy.
“I want our children to know Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, and it is in Him where we will find peace,” Lisa Dickerson said. “We need our children to know when life gets really heavy and difficult, as it sometimes does, turning to Jesus in the Eucharist is the greatest source of strength, hope, healing, calm and peace that the world cannot give.”
If You Go
An exhibit highlighting the Eucharist documented by Blessed Carlo Acutis will be at Our Lady of Hope Parish Chapel, Blackwood through Nov. 5.
The remaining times are:
Nov. 3: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Nov. 4: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Nov. 5: 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
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