After 12 years of research and tests, a miracle in the district of Kannur in Kerala, India was officially recognised by the Holy See. During Mass in the Christ the King Church, Vilakkannur Parish in 2013, Fr Thomas Pathikal spotted the face of Jesus on the sacramental host. It was officially stated as a miracle on May 31, 2025.
Caren Pinheiro, a Catholic from Kerala living in Dublin who is a student at Dkit, was “extremely thrilled” to hear this miracle recognised. “I think it’s an unreal moment. You only hear about things like this happening somewhere far away, but when it’s close to home, it kind of hits different. It’s touched a lot of hearts and souls back home in Kerala. Miracles like these stay with people, believer or not”.
Media
This sighting was all over the media, which was followed by many worshipers flooding the Church to see this in person. This news reached Rome, and the host was then investigated by the Vatican, and it has now been officially deemed as a miracle. The Vatican had changed its criteria for recognising miracles, making it stricter and harder.
Fr Pathikal told a local paper that the host had a shade that started growing more and more during Mass. This turned into the face of Jesus, a face which is quite similar to the Shroud of Turin, and the host was kept at the archbishop’s house after staying in the parish for 3 days.
After years of waiting, the team in Rome sent the host to Bangalore, to the prestigious Christ University, for a more scientific investigation. This was done with 3 experiments inside a state of an art lab that, and the committee consisted of Theologians and scientists alike. The experiments were requested by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to further prove this miracle.
Priya Jossy Choolakkal, has been in the country for seven years working as a data analyst in Dublin and was “happy and filled with emotions” with the news.
“I still remember the day when I heard about this news for the first time in 2013. Now after Vatican officially recognised the Eucharistic miracle, I felt a surge of pure joy that still warms my heart. Growing up among Malayalees steeped in faith, this recognition meant so much, not just for me, but for our entire community,” Ms Choolakkal said.
Divine
“It felt like a divine nod to our spiritual roots, affirming the profound belief in the Real Presence of Christ. For Malayalees everywhere, whether in Kerala or around the world. It brought a wave of renewed faith, unity, and pride,” she said.
The miracle has put the Syro-Malabar community in the limelight internationally, with Syro-Malabar community growing rapidly in Ireland, this would be a great example for one of the oldest known Catholic liturgies in the world.