Sixteen consecrated hosts have remained incorrupt for ninety years in the parish of San Millán, in Moraleja de Enmedio (diocese of Getafe), where one of the best-known Eucharistic miracles in Spain is preserved. For the parish community, these hosts constitute a permanent reminder of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and continue to attract the faithful and pilgrims who come to pray before the Blessed Sacrament.
On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the prodigy, celebrated last July 16, Father Rafael de Tomás Ferrer has reflected, in an interview given to the media of the diocese of Getafe, on the spiritual meaning this miracle still holds for the parish and for his own priestly ministry. “In the end, the Eucharist is the life of a priest and for me it has meant this: it is my life. It is where I rest, where I draw strength, where I am consoled,” he states.
A miracle born in the days of religious persecution
The story goes back to July 16, 1936, when twenty-four hosts were consecrated in the parish of San Millán. Just two days later the Spanish Civil War broke out and one of the greatest religious persecutions in contemporary Spanish history began. To prevent the Blessed Sacrament from being profaned, several faithful hid the consecrated hosts, even risking their own lives.
When the conflict ended, the hosts were recovered and an extraordinary fact began to be verified: they remained incorrupt and fit for consumption. Today sixteen of them continue to be preserved in the parish, where for decades they have constituted a permanent place of Eucharistic adoration.
For Rafael de Tomás, the true miracle does not consist solely in the preservation of the hosts, but also in the testimony of those who protected them.
“First we are witnesses of a miracle. But united to this miracle there is another: that the simple people of the town ninety years ago were willing to risk even their own lives to defend the Eucharist.”
Therefore, he considers that the current residents of Moraleja de Enmedio are heirs of that fidelity.
“We are heirs of a heroic faith. In our parish there is a very great gift and we are called to guard what our fathers and our grandfathers guarded.”
Eucharistic adoration at the center of parish life
The incorrupt hosts are not merely a historical memory. They continue to mark the daily life of the parish, where Eucharistic adoration occupies a central place. Every day there are moments of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and, especially on Thursdays, it remains exposed throughout the day.
“Eucharistic adoration occupies a very important, central and essential place in the life of faith of the parish,” explains the pastor.
In his view, the miracle always leads to the same reality: the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
“The Eucharist is God. Jesus is the Eucharist. It is not that Jesus is in the Eucharist, but that He is the Eucharist.”
Contemplating consecrated hosts that remain intact nine decades later helps, he affirms, many of the faithful to rediscover that truth of faith. “It is very moving, because you cannot explain it in any way unless it is because the presence of Jesus is real.”
A place where many rediscover their faith
The priest assures that over these years he has witnessed numerous conversions and spiritual experiences among those who visit the parish.
He recalls the case of a person who entered the church without knowing why and ended up confessing to him: “I have seen people praying and I have thought: I want to believe in this God in whom these people believe.”
Another woman told him, after spending some time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament: “I have never felt so loved as today before this presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.”
For Rafael de Tomás, these testimonies show that the miracle continues to bear fruit ninety years later. “Very beautiful things happen when people approach the Lord with faith.”
A living legacy of faith
The memory of the miracle is part of the identity of Moraleja de Enmedio and has been passed down from generation to generation.
“It is as if they had it in their veins. It is part of the life of families, of their faith and of their homes,” the pastor states.
On July 16 the parish commemorated the 90th anniversary of the consecration of the hosts with a solemn Eucharist, recalling not only the extraordinary nature of their preservation, but also the testimony of those who protected them during the religious persecution of 1936. Nine decades later, the incorrupt hosts of Moraleja de Enmedio continue to be a sign that points to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and a place of prayer for numerous faithful.