St. Januarius’ blood miraculously liquifies again in Naples

By Eduardo Berdejo

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 18, 2023 / 18:40 pm

The Archdiocese of Naples, Italy, announced that the miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius was repeated Saturday at the end of a Mass honoring him as the patron saint of the city.

The Italian archdiocese reported on Facebook that at 10:35 a.m. on Dec. 16 “the announcement of the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius was made” at the end of the Eucharist celebrated in the Royal Chapel of the Treasure of St. Januarius in the Naples cathedral.

The Mass was celebrated by Monsignor Vincenzo De Gregorio, “on the occasion of the feast of the patronage of St. Januarius, which is traditionally accompanied by the hope of the prodigious liquefaction of the blood of the patron saint,” the archdiocese said on its website.

The miracle of liquefaction traditionally occurs three times a year: in commemoration of the transfer of his remains to Naples (the Saturday before the first Sunday in May), on his liturgical feast (Sept. 19), and on the anniversary of the eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius in 1631 when his intercession was invoked and the city was spared from the effects of the eruption (Dec. 16).

However, on Nov. 23, the miracle also reportedly occurred unexpectedly after Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I held the relic on a visit to the Naples cathedral. The event was confirmed in an email to the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, from the general vicar of the Orthodox dioceses of Italy, Father Vissarion Vakaros.

“We can assure as ocular witnesses the miracle that you mentioned,” Vakaros said in answer to a question regarding the occurrence of a miracle. “Indeed when our patriarch took the relic of the blood of our father Januarius in his hands [it] was liquified instantly.”

This story was first publishedby ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Eduardo Berdejo has a Journalism degree from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (Peru). He has been a member of the ACI Prensa team since 2001. He has covered Pope Francis' visits to Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru. He also holds a diploma in Comparative Literature from the University of Piura (Peru) and has completed the Comprehensive Course on Style Correction at the Lima Publishing School (Peru).