Adorabelle Namigadde | Special to The Michigan Catholic

Detroit — Some people who separate themselves from the Eucharist are those who need it most, according to Msgr. Michael LeFevre.

He’s the pastor of the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit. On Sept. 21-22, the cathedral will host a display of the Vatican International Exhibition of the Eucharistic Miracles Around the World.

“I had a parishioner who was divorced come with her 20-year-old daughter to ask me if she could receive Communion. She’d been going without it for some time even though she was fine to receive it since she wasn’t trying to get remarried,” Msgr. LeFevre said.

Catholics believe the Eucharist is the true Body and Blood of Christ under the appearance of bread and wine.

The exhibition is a compilation of historical records and photographs of some Eucharistic miracles that have taken place around the world through the centuries.

According to the website of the Real Presence Apostolate of Michigan, which is promoting the exhibition, “Eucharistic miracles are extraordinary events or phenomena, which manifest the real presence of Jesus in the consecrated bread and wine in a way that we can discern with our ordinary senses.”

“We imagine the exhibition being like a tour where groups of people will be instructed on what’s going on,” Msgr. LeFevre said.

In the Year of the Eucharist, October 2004 to October 2005, the Vatican adopted the exhibition and showed it in more than 500 Italian parishes, according to the Real Presence Apostolate. Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old boy who eventually died from leukemia, researched Eucharistic miracles around the world and put them into a display format.

“This year is a holy year because of the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council,” Msgr. LeFevre said. “The archbishop designated areas open to catechetical sessions, and we’re one. So when Howard offered to have the exhibition here, we knew it would be an opportunity to teach people about the Eucharist.”

Howard Weathington is a parishioner at the cathedral and a trustee for his council of the Knights of Columbus. He wanted to help bring the display to the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament for three main reasons.

“First of all, the name just fits,” Weathington said. He also said a Eucharistic miracle exhibition could enliven the Church by helping those who might have been poorly catechized come to a deeper understanding of their faith. Weathington said people who have lost their way might be inspired to return to the Church with a deeper appreciation for the Eucharist.

He saw the exhibition himself for the first time six years ago.

Each time he visited the exhibition, Weathington said he noticed different miracles. With tears in his eyes, Weathington talked about a miracle in which forest animals surrounded a Eucharistic host that had been hidden there earlier.

“When I go to Mass now, I go to see what Jesus is doing,” he said. “It’s not about the priest, and it’s not about me.”

Msgr. LeFevre said there will be three main audiences for the exhibition. One night, presentations will be geared toward young adults preparing for confirmation, a sacrament of initiation. Another will be for adults who attend a downstairs coffee hour after Sunday Mass, and the third will be ecumenical and casual.

“There’s a lot of misunderstanding out there about what we believe,” Msgr. LeFevre said. “The Body and Blood of Christ aren’t just actions we celebrate at Mass. They define us.”

“Some people are visual learners, whereas others aren’t, but the good thing about the exhibition is it’s geared toward both,” he added. “It really reveals what it means to be Catholic by giving stories and pictures about the Eucharist.”

The cathedral is at 9844 Woodward Ave. in Detroit. For more information regarding the exhibition, call the cathedral at (313) 865-6300. For more information on the Real Presence Apostolate of Michigan, visit www.rpamichigan.org.

The Real Presence Apostolate of Michigan offers the exhibition for free to Catholic parishes, organizations, events and schools. To reserve the exhibition, call Sarah Zydeck at (734) 667-2287 or Margy Nagel at (586) 779-0306.