Erding

On Holy Thursday 1417 in the Bavarian town of Erding, a Eucharistic miracle occurred that began with misunderstanding and ended with divine manifestation. A poor peasant of Erding struggled daily, working many hours but remaining in poverty despite his best efforts. Meanwhile, his neighbor, who appeared to do the same work, lived prosperously. Frustrated and desperate, the peasant asked his neighbor the secret of his success.

About this miracle

The neighbor confided that his prosperity was owed to the fact that he kept the Blessed Sacrament in his house—likely meaning that he maintained a home altar with devotion to the Eucharist, or participated faithfully in Eucharistic devotions. However, the poor peasant tragically misunderstood this spiritual counsel as a superstitious magical formula. He interpreted it to mean that physically possessing a consecrated Host would bring material wealth, rather than understanding the spiritual blessings that flow from Eucharistic devotion.

Acting on this misunderstanding, the peasant attended Mass on Holy Thursday and stole a consecrated Host, concealing it on his person as he left the church. His plan was to keep it in his home, believing this would bring him the prosperity his neighbor enjoyed. However, as he journeyed away from the church, the Host miraculously escaped from his hands and flew up into the air, completely beyond his control. The parish priest, who had noticed something amiss, witnessed the miraculous Host resting on a clump of dirt while emitting a brilliant supernatural light visible to all. He approached reverently to retrieve it, but when he drew near, the Host again flew up into the air and disappeared from view.

The priest immediately alerted the Bishop of Freising, who recognized the profound significance of the supernatural events and decided to go in person to the site of the miracle. The Bishop and the townspeople, moved by this divine manifestation, decided to build a chapel in honor of the Eucharistic wonder. The response to the chapel was extraordinary—crowds of pilgrims flocked to the site in such numbers that by 1675, local authorities decided to construct a new and much larger sanctuary in the baroque style to accommodate them. On September 19, 1677, Bishop Kaspar Kunner of Freising blessed the new church, which was dedicated to the Most Precious Blood. This magnificent baroque church still stands today. Since 1992, the sanctuary has been under the care of the monks of St. Paul of the Desert, who maintain the site and continue the centuries-old tradition of Eucharistic devotion.