He Stole the Eucharist and Hid It in a Rabbit Burrow….π»π¦
In 1412, a man named Jan van Langerstede entered a church in the region of Poederlee and stole sacred objects, including a chalice and ciborium containing five consecrated Hosts.
Jan was known as a thief of sacred objects, which he reportedly stole from churches and sold elsewhere.
He began his journey back toward Herentals, where he was staying.
But near a place called De Hegge, something extraordinary happened.
Jan suddenly found himself unable to continue.
He attempted to get rid of the consecrated Hosts, but could not.
Eventually, he found a field with a large rabbit burrow and hid the five Hosts there.
Then he continued toward Herentals.
Meanwhile, the theft had been discovered.
The city judge, Gilbert De Pape, began an investigation. Police searched Jan's belongings and found the stolen chalice and ciborium.
Jan was arrested and sentenced to death.
He was already on the scaffold when a priest urged him to confess everything before his execution.
Jan finally revealed where he had hidden the consecrated Hosts.
The execution was suspended.
The judge ordered Jan to lead them to the exact location.
A large crowd followed.
They reached the field.
And there, near the rabbit burrow, they found the five consecrated Hosts.
They were described as radiant and arranged in the form of a cross.
Even though they had remained outside for eight days, including during rainy weather, the Hosts were found intact.
The Hosts were reverently taken away in procession. Some were brought to Herentals, while others were taken to Poederlee, where they remained until the 16th century.
The event became known as the Hegge Miracle.
A chapel was eventually built at the place where the Hosts had been discovered.
The present Hegge Chapel was commissioned in 1442 by Jan van Vriesele, lord of Poederlee, and is now considered the oldest building in the municipality of Lille.
The site became a place of Eucharistic devotion.
Even today, the Hegge Chapel remains connected with the centuries-old Eucharistic devotion of Poederlee, and an annual procession takes place toward the chapel after the feast of Corpus Christi.
The Eucharistic Miracle of Herentals is also included in the international exhibition of Eucharistic miracles created by Saint Carlo Acutis and Nicola Gori, which lists Herentals among the Eucharistic miracles of Belgium.
Five consecrated Hosts.
A hidden field.
Eight days in the open air.
And a discovery in the form of a cross.
More than six centuries later, the Hegge Chapel still stands where the Hosts were found, preserving the memory of one of Belgium's most famous Eucharistic miracle accounts.
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