La Rochelle

During Easter of 1461, Mrs. Jehan Leclerc brought her twelve-year-old son, Bertrand, to the Church of St. Bartholomew in La Rochelle. Bertrand had been paralyzed and mute since the age of seven due to a terrible fall. When the time for Holy Communion arrived, he indicated to his mother that he also wanted to receive Jesus in the Eucharist.

About this miracle

Initially, the priest did not want to give the young man Communion because the boy was unable to go to Confession due to his muteness. However, Bertrand pleaded with the priest and ultimately the priest was convinced to give him Communion. At the reception of Holy Communion, the boy was shaken by an inexplicable force and became able to move and speak. Bertrand's first words were 'Our help is in the name of the Lord!' (Psalm 124:8).

The instantaneous cure of this boy, paralyzed and mute for five years, when he received Holy Communion at Mass on Easter Sunday was recognized as a genuine Eucharistic miracle. The most authoritative document that visually describes this miracle is the painted manuscript preserved still today in the Cathedral of La Rochelle, testifying to the healing power of Christ truly present in the Eucharist.

Church recognition

This miracle has local Church veneration, pilgrimage sites, or chapels, but no formal diocesan investigation or decree has been documented.

Recognition status cross-referenced using Magisterium AI, a third-party tool that searches a corpus of Catholic Church documents. This does not constitute official Church verification.