Eucharistic miracle of Sokółka

Eucharistic miracle of Sokółka
Reliquary with the consecrated host and the presumed blood of Christ
Information
TypeEucharistic miracle
DateOctober 12, 2008
DenominationCatholic
Location
LocationSaint Anthony of Padua Church in Sokółka
CountryPoland
CitySokółka
DioceseArchdiocese of Białystok
DeanerySokółka deanery
Preserved inSaint Anthony of Padua Church in Sokółka

The Eucharistic miracle of Sokółka is an Eucharistic miracle that took place on October 12, 2008, in Sokółka, Poland.[1]

In October of 2009, the event was publicized.[2] Some criticism was directed towards the church investigation.[3] The Medical University of Białystok stated the research was done unofficially, and news media raised concerns about the specificity and independence of the research.[1] The event is celebrated yearly on October 1, and draws thousands of pilgrims to Sokółka annually.[4]

Event

The event took place at the Church of Saint Anthony of Padua in Sokółka, Poland,[1] two weeks after the beatification of Michał Sopoćko that took place at the nearby Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Białystok in front of 80,000 people.[5][6]

During the 8:30 am Sunday mass on October 12, 2008, a consecrated host fell from the hands of a vicar named Jacek Ingielewicz during the Eucharist and landed on the floor.[5][7] The slightly dirty host was picked up by him and placed in a container with water in the tabernacle.[7] After the mass ended, the parish sacristan Julia Dubowska moved the host and water into another container and stored it away so that the host could safely dissolve, at the request of parish priest Stanisław Gniedziejko.[7]

A week later, on October 19, when Dubowska went to check on the state of the host, she noticed a red blood-like stain in the middle of the host,[7] roughly the size of a small coin. She informed Gniedziejko about the miracle. Gniedziejko went to Edward Ozorowski, the auxiliary bishop of Białystok, who arrived in Sokółka accompanied by the chancellor of the curia Andrzej Kaka-reko.[7] On October 29, Gniedziejko was instructed by the bishop to move the container to the rectory. The host was later ordered to be taken out of the water and placed on a corporal.[7]

Initial investigation and scientific study

On January 7, 2009, a sample from the host was sent to medical professors Maria Sobaniec-Lotowska and Stanislaw Sulkowski,[8] both from the Medical University of Białystok.[7] The professors finished their investigation on January 21 of that year, when they submitted a report to the Metropolitan Curia of Białystok.[9] In 2009 it was reported that they concluded that the material found on the host was most likely the cardiac tissue of a living organism.[8] In a 2018 paper written by the researchers, they state the tissue was undoubtedly from a human heart, and that the sample looked as if it came from a living person in agony.[10]

On March 30, 2009, Archbishop Ozorowski appointed an ecclesiastical commission to investigate the event, interviewing witnesses and reviewing pathological findings. They found no third party interference in the event. Their work was complete by October of that year.[2] The commission forwarded its findings to the Apostolic Nunciature to Poland in Warsaw.[1]

Announcement and aftermath

On October 14, 2009, the Metropolitan Curia of Białystok announced the miracle to the public for the first time, and said that the "event in Sokółka does not contradict the Church's faith; rather, it confirms". They also published findings of the commission.[2]

Reactions and criticism

After the announcement, the Medical University of Białystok released a statement (through its spokesman professor Lech Chyczewski) distancing itself from the research. The statement detailed that the research was conducted informally and outside of official channels in the Academic Department of Pathomorphological Diagnostics of the University. Chyczewski found it likely that the material was from the human heart, but said that finding raised the questions about the material's origin.[3]

Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita published an article critical of many aspects of the announcement and investigation. It stated that one of the researchers, Sobaniec-Lotowska, was already a staunch Catholic and confidante of the Archbishop. It also suggested that the test used by the researchers could only determine if the tissue was mammalian, not specifically human.[1]

The same article reported that professor Lech Chyczewski and the Department of Forensic Medicine in Bydgoszcz offered to the Archbishop to conduct further testing, including analysis of DNA and nuclei arrangement. They also raised questions of whether the muscle was skeletal or cardiac in nature. The Archbishop declined further testing.[1]

The Polish Rationalist Association[1] asked police to investigate if a murder or other crime was involved in collecting the flesh related to the host. Police stated there was no evidence of any crime.[11]

Legacy

In 2011, the host was transferred to the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary in the Sokółka Collegiate Church, allowing visitors to see it for the first time.[12]

The miracle is celebrated by the faithful each year on October 1, with thousands of pilgrims gathering there each year on that date.[4] Local Catholics state that the miracle has provided supernatural healing for a number of people.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Nieśpiał, Tomasz (2009-10-27). "Co się naprawdę stało w Sokółce". Rzeczpospolita (in Polish). Retrieved 2026-02-11.
  2. ^ a b c "Komunikat Kurii Metropolitalnej Białostockiej w sprawie zjawisk eucharystycznych w Sokółce". Information and Social Communication Center of the Archdiocese of Białystok. 14 October 2009. Archived from the original on 18 October 2009.
  3. ^ a b "Uniwersytet Medyczny odcina się od badań ws. "cudu" w Sokółce". Nauka w Polsce (in Polish). 2009-10-30. Retrieved 2026-02-11.
  4. ^ a b "15 lat temu w Sokółce wydarzył się cud eucharystyczny". bialystok.tvp.pl (in Polish). 2023-10-01. Retrieved 2026-02-11.
  5. ^ a b "Historia wydarzenia – Sanktuarium Najświętszego Sakramentu w Sokółce" (in Polish). Retrieved 2026-02-11.
  6. ^ "Father Michael Sopocko, Our New Blessed". The Divine Mercy. 2013-09-29. Retrieved 2026-02-11.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Tesoriero, Ron; Han, Lee. "Czy w Sokółce miał miejsce cud?". deon.pl. Retrieved 2026-02-11.
  8. ^ a b Drake, Tim (2009-10-16). "Eucharistic Miracle: 2009?". NCR. Retrieved 2026-02-11.
  9. ^ Jacyna-Onyszkiewicz, Zbigniew; Sobaniec-Łotowska, Maria Elżbieta; Sulkowski, Stanisław Tadeusz; Kakareko, Andrzej; Rucki, Miroslaw (2018-11-17). "Eucharystyczne trwanie z perspektywy nauk ścisłych". Teologia i Człowiek (in Polish). 43 (3): 86. doi:10.12775/TiCz.2018.028. ISSN 2391-7598.
  10. ^ Jacyna-Onyszkiewicz, Zbigniew; Sobaniec-Łotowska, Maria Elżbieta; Sulkowski, Stanisław Tadeusz; Kakareko, Andrzej; Rucki, Mirosław (2018-11-17). "Eucharystyczne trwanie z perspektywy nauk ścisłych". Teologia i Człowiek (in Polish). 43 (3): 87. doi:10.12775/TiCz.2018.028. ISSN 2391-7598.
  11. ^ "Did Jesus' heart appear in communion wafer?". NBC News. 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2026-02-11.
  12. ^ "Wiadomości - Ciało i krew Jezusa w hostii. Sokółka dziękuje za cud sprzed 17 lat". Polskie Radio Białystok - Regionalna Rozgłośnia w Białymstoku (in Polish). Retrieved 2026-02-11.
  13. ^ "Świadectwa – Sanktuarium Najświętszego Sakramentu w Sokółce" (in Polish). Retrieved 2026-02-11.
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