BRIEF AND TRUE ACCOUNT OF THE MIRACLE OF THE SACRED FORMS? WHICH ARE FOUND AND SEEN IN THE COMPANY OF JESUS DE ALCALÁ DE HERNARES AND THE TESTIMONY GIVEN BY THE ILLUSTRIOUS LORD DON FRANCISCO DE MENDOZA, BISHOP AND GOVERNOR OF THE ARCHBISHOPRIC OF TOLEDO.

Place: Toledo
Year: 1597
Event: Milagro, Miracle

In the year 1597 some Moors were going about in this and other lands stealing monstrances from the tabernacles, and as people without faith they despised the consecrated forms and threw them on the ground. An old Christian was in their company and as a faithful person, he collected the sacred forms; and having collected in a paper about twenty-six of them, he brought them as a great secret and fear to a grave and elderly Father of this college, named Juan Suarez, a very great servant of God, therefore, of great goodness and truth, who, considering what was said to be true, consulted Father Gabriel Vazquez about what should be done with them, who, also considering the said case to be true and fearing that these wicked people had put poison in these consecrated forms, also considered the said case to be true.

By divine instinct, for the manifestation of this miracle mentioned here, he ordered that they not be consumed (as other Fathers consumed them in other places) but that they be placed in a decent location, so that with time the accidents would be corrupted, and corrupted they would be thrown into the pool or sump. The Father who received them visited those forms many times, and finding them after eleven years so whole at the beginning, on the advice of the grave Fathers and readers of theology of this College, they moved them to another more decent place, more humid, so that they would be more easily corrupted.

Having been there almost a year, they were found in the same integrity, color and odor as before. They put for proof of what was said in the same place other unconsecrated forms, which in less time were found to be corrupted. These sacred forms having remained with the same integrity, as if they were newly made from the year 1597 to the year 1619. And having passed this marvel through the eyes and judgments of many Provincials, Rectors and readers of theology that have been in this interim in the College of the Society of Jesus and of many other doctors and professors of theology and medicine of the university of Alcalá and seeing that this marvel grew and was greater every day and that it could not be without great and evident miracle, it seemed to the superior and Fathers of the said college, to ask juridically to the doctor don Cristóbal de la Cámara y Murga, canon magistral of the Holy Church of Toledo and vicar general of this archbishopric and later bishop of the Canary Islands, who having made the due diligences was served to interpose his authority, according to the holy Tridentine Conciclio, to declare and approve this miracle and, having made the due information, receiving oath all those who could depose of this case and a board of the main professors of theology, canons and medicine and other doctors, canons and dignitaries of the Church of San Justo [? ], superiors and prelates of the religions and other readers and preachers of them who, having seen, touched and attentively considered the sacred forms, unanimously and in agreement judged that having been preserved for so many years in the state in which they were, it could not be but by evident miracle and supernatural virtue of God our Lord that he wanted to give this testimony of the royal preference of Christ our Lord in the most holy Sacrament for the confusion of heretics, confirmation of the faith and consolation of Catholics. And conforming the vicar with the opinion of so many learned men and serious people and having personally conferred it with the chapter of the holy Church of Toledo in vacant seat, in the town of Alcala on July 16, 1619, using his office and ordinary authority Cristi Nomine Invocato, judged and declared that the forms were sacred relics and that their supernatural and miraculous conservation, as such every faithful Christian is obliged to venerate them singularly and to give them the honor and admiration that is due and commanded to such sacred relics.

And he commanded the superior of the college of the Society of Jesus at that time and all his successors and the religious who were then of that house, to propose them to the Christian people and to give notice of them to the people of the church, for the honor and veneration of this most divine Sacrament. And then persevering in the same integrity and perfection of these holy forms, being in Alcalá, Doctor Álvaro de Villegas, governor of this archbishopric on June 8, 1622, also declared as ordinary judge, that these sacred forms were uncorrupted and as it seemed clear to him, he manifested the miracle that Our Lord was able to work and that he considered it as such and in faith of this he gave his letters signed by his hand and sealed with the seal of his arms and countersigned by his secretary.

TESTIMONY OF THE LORD GOVERNOR.

Us don Francisco de Mendoza, bishop and governor, in the name of his highness the lord cardinal don Fernando Infante de España, perpetual administrator of the holy church of Toledo and its archbishopric, major chancellor of Castile my lord and by virtue of his subdelegation and general power that we have to govern the said archbishopric in the spiritual and temporal by what touches us, as its coadministrator, with apostolic authority and company. Taking the said relation for true, following the steps of the said lords judges, don Cristobal de la Cámara, vicar general and don Álvaro de Villegas, governor and conforming ourselves with the opinion of so many learned and grave men and with the voice and public fame of all those who have seen closely and attentively and admiring ourselves for their whiteness and integrity after 37 years that will be fulfilled by the month of April of this present year, we judge and declare and again we approve to be to the present of the said sacred incorrupt forms and it seemed to us clear and manifest miracle and we have him for such and in faith of it we gave the present signed by our Secretary. In Alcalá de Henares on January 28, 1634. The Bishop Governor. By order of my lord the Bishop Governor, Dr. Gerónimo López de Montalbán, Secretary.

To see the Spanish version, modernized and transcribed, click here.

To see the French translation, click here.