Morris, Indiana – Laboratory analysis found nothing miraculous about the red marks found on communion wafers in Indiana's Catholic Church.
The discovery at St. Anthony of Morris' Padua Catholic Church is rare enough for a formal examination, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis said.
However, biochemical analysis revealed “only fungi and three different species of bacteria, all of which are commonly found in the hands of humans,” the Archdiocese said Monday, adding that no blood was found.
Catholic faith teaches that the wafers of wine and bread mean the body and blood of Jesus Christ. They are usually consecrated by the priests of the Mass.
The host, or bread with the red mark, had fallen from the St. Anthony Church's mass kit.
“Through the history of the Catholic Church, there have been well-documented miracles and illusions, each of which has been thoroughly and carefully reviewed,” the Archdiocese said.
Before the analysis, some members of St. Anthony's Church were excited about what would be found.
“We have a small town. You can drive through and flash and you can go through it,” church member Shari Strathell told WKRC-TV. “It means the world, and I think there's something special here in our church.”
