By Anthony Flores

The newly named St. Carlo Acutis Catholic Student Center, near the School of Mines, has witnessed what can happen when Christ is put in the center. Not only in our sanctuary, but in our very lives. On April 3, we began a renovation that put the tabernacle in the main church at the center of the sanctuary, along with other significant changes to the building. Since then, the Holy Spirit has been moving, and we invite you to come on down, get a tour, stay for a daily Mass, and pray with Jesus in Adoration. We have stories to tell.

The one story I want to share with you today is about an incredible gift St. Carlo’s was given on November 3 of 160 posters of a Eucharist Miracles Exhibit that has traveled to more than 120 locations in the Midwest. The journey started fourteen years ago by two men from the eastern side of South Dakota, Earl and Jim. The two of them have logged more than 43,000 miles and presented the stories behind the miracles in seven states.

St. Carlo said, “All people are born as originals but many die as photocopies.” Earl and Jim are not in danger of dying as photocopies. The banter between the two of them was a breath of fresh air. Both men were filled with joy from their travels. The miracles found on all 160 posters they gave us have led to so many more on their adventures. Even a Lutheran minister and his wife, after reading several of the panels, pondered if they needed to convert. Some people drove farther than two hours to meet with Earl and Jim and share what had happened to them because of their dedication to sharing these stories of our Lord’s Real Presence. Story after story poured out of them how God found ways to get them to where they were going.

St. Carlo Acutis designed and created on his website, Miracoli Eucaristici, the “Eucharistic Miracles of the World.” He spent longer than two years using his advanced computer skills to create a multilingual website cataloging these miracles. However, he refused to become a slave to technology. St. Carlo limited his recreational computer time (aka video games) to one hour a week. That is why I see him smiling down on us for finding a way to use his work to be more communal. Surfing the internet is an individual endeavor. But with these panels, we watch parents read them to their children, friends engage in conversations about the Real Presence, parishes brought to life, and the Lord continue to work miracles in our lives.

Every few days I switch out the Eucharistic miracles displayed around St. Carlo. One tells the story of Fr. Otty Ossa Aristiábal in Venezuela on December 8, 1991. After dividing the host into four parts, he looked down on the paten and saw a red spot. The blood continued to flow and started to dry, yet it still appears fresh to this day. Years later, in 1998, a young American filmed the miraculous “Host of Betania” and caught a vision he describes “as if in flames, and there was a pulsating heart that was bleeding in its center.”

You can invite students from St. Carlo’s center to come to your parishes to carry on the mission of Earl and Jim. These two men would say whenever they felt hesitant, “If it changes one heart, we must go!” Although this trip to Rapid City was their last trip, our students plan to continue their mission. They stand ready to bring to you these panels that have transformed hearts all around the world. St. Carlo put Jesus at the center of his life. He called the Eucharist “a foretaste of heaven.” Call on us to come and share with you the incredible miracles of the One who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

To contact the St. Carlo Student Center call 605-716-4130 or email Anthony Flores anthony@stcarlocsc.org or Fr. Mark McCormick mmccormick@diorc.org.