The Worms Were Confused

Short Summary: 351 Eucharistic hosts stolen from a church were found intact in a donation box three days later, despite being contaminated and stored for years. Scientists confirmed their miraculous preservation, noting no signs of decay even after extensive examinations over decades.

Details

Location: Siena, Italy

Year: 1730

Prayer: Come Holy Spirit, Grant me the gift of fortitude. Support me in carrying my daily crosses. Help me with obstacles, both internal and external. Help me remain steadfast under trial, to run with endurance the race that is set before me, and to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and constant in prayer. Finally, I turn to you for the grace of perseverance until the very end. Amen.

Verse: O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever. Who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever. -Ps 136:1-5

Full Story

A total of 351 Eucharist hosts were stolen from a church. They were surprisingly found in the donation box three days later, when a priest noticed something white sticking out of the box. All the hosts were accounted for: 348 whole hosts and 6 halves. The particular donation box was a less commonly used depository, and thus was only opened once a year. Therefore, it was filled with dust, dirt and cobwebs, which contimated the hosts inside. They were thus set aside in a container, and not used by the church. Over the years, some clergy noticed the hosts were not deteriorated at all, and even retained a pleasant scent. After 50 years, they were convinced they were witnessing a miracle of preservation. The hosts remain miraculously intact to this day. These incorruptable hosts have been repeatedly examined over the years (1780, 1789, 1889, 1815, 1854, 1914, 1980, 2014, …). Once they were even found surrounded by worms, yet completely undamaged. Professor Girmaldi, director of the Municipal Chemistry Laboratory and distinguished professor of chemisty, thoroughly examined the hosts in 1914 using acid and starch tests. He concluded the hosts were a "phenomenon that inverts the natural law of the conservation of organic material." In 2014, further examination confirmed the hosts to be made of normal bread, yet without any signs of decay. No natural explanation can be found for this preservation, as the hosts would normally disintegrate within days or weeks.

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