Eucharistic Miracle of Cascia
A consecrated host carried carelessly in a breviary was found to have bled onto the page, still preserved today.
St. Rita of Cascia → Plan a trip hereThe Story
The Eucharistic Miracle of Cascia is associated with a reported event that occurred near Siena, Italy, in 1330. Although the event took place in Siena, it became known by the name of Cascia because the principal relic has been preserved there for centuries, today within the Lower Basilica of Saint Rita of Cascia. According to the account maintained by the Basilica and Monastery of Saint Rita, a priest was summoned to bring Holy Communion to a seriously ill man. Instead of carrying the consecrated Host in a proper sacred vessel, the priest placed it between the parchment pages of his breviary and carried the book under his arm. After hearing the sick man’s confession, the priest opened the breviary to retrieve the Host. He reportedly discovered that the Host had released blood, adhered to the parchment and stained both pages of the book. Disturbed by what he had seen and recognizing that he had treated the Eucharist carelessly, the priest left and sought the guidance of Blessed Simone Fidati of Cascia, an Augustinian friar who was preaching in Siena at the time. Blessed Simone examined the breviary and, with the priest’s permission, took possession of the two bloodstained pages. When he later returned to Umbria, he reportedly left one page at an Augustinian convent in Perugia and brought the other—the portion associated with the bloodstained Host—to his community in Cascia. Public veneration of the relic developed there, and the shrine’s official pilgrimage materials state that Pope Boniface IX confirmed the miracle’s authenticity in 1389. The surviving relic consists of a small piece of parchment bearing the stain traditionally associated with the Host and blood. It is preserved in a reliquary in the Lower Basilica of Saint Rita, near the remains of Blessed Simone Fidati. Pilgrims may visit the basilica to pray before the relic and reflect on Christ’s presence in the Eucharist. The central meaning of the Cascia miracle is closely connected with reverence for the Blessed Sacrament. The priest’s careless treatment of the Host is followed by shock, repentance and a renewed awareness of the sacredness of Holy Communion. The account therefore serves as both a sign of Eucharistic faith and a warning against treating the Eucharist casually or merely as an ordinary object. Catholic teaching holds that Jesus Christ is truly, really and substantially present in the Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine. The Cascia tradition is understood as an extraordinary visible sign pointing toward the reality Catholics believe is present at every valid celebration of Mass. The miracle is not intended to imply that Christ is more fully present in the relic than in an ordinary consecrated Host. Rather, it invites believers to receive Holy Communion with greater faith, preparation and gratitude, and to approach the Blessed Sacrament with the reverence owed to the living presence of Jesus Christ.
Church Recognition
A recognized devotion; the bloodstained page is venerated in Cascia.
Catholic Teaching
A call to reverence for the Eucharist and to faith in the Real Presence.
Plan Your Visit
Practical
Additional Information
The relic is kept at the Basilica of St. Rita in Cascia.
Go Deeper
Visit the official website of the Basilica and Sanctuary of St. Rita of Cascia (https://santaritadacascia.org), which documents the relic of the miracle; see also the Cascia panel in St. Carlo Acutis's International Exhibition of Eucharistic Miracles and the Catechism of the Catholic Church 1373–1381 on the Real Presence.
Location
Visit the official website ↗ See it on the interactive map →Pilgrim Photos
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In the Area
Other sacred sites within 40 miles.