Author, TV host investigates the miraculous

Michael O’Neill is host of the EWTN programs Miracle Hunter, They Might Be Saints, and Explore with the Miracle Hunter. He is an author of books on miracles, including his 2022 Science and the Miraculous: How the Church Investigates the Supernatural. He is also a Roman Catholic who leads pilgrimages to places where supernatural events have occurred. He will be a featured speaker at Legatus’ Summit 2023 to be held February 9-11, 2023, in Orlando, FL.

What do you plan to speak on at the Summit?

My presentation is entitled, “How the Catholic Church Investigates the Supernatural.” This is an area into which most Catholics – even those who take their faith seriously – haven’t given much thought or into which they don’t have a clear insight. The scientific testing and specialized ecclesial processes into determining whether a miracle is true or false can be complicated and is reserved to local bishops and their investigative commissions.
 
What experiences have you had with Legatus?

I have delivered more than 25 presentations to Legatus chapters all around the country. It has always been a blessing to meet the members of these chapters, to share my story, and to learn about the great work that they are doing to bring the gospel into the workplace and culture.
 
What miraculous events do you investigate?

There are different types of miracles. There are “lowercase m” miracles: graces, blessings, and favors we receive, even fortuitous coincidences where we see God watching out for us as a loving Father. We’ve all had that experience of finding that lost cell phone or wallet or getting five consecutive green traffic lights when running late for a meeting. We might smile and call these happenings “miraculous.”

But there are also “uppercase M” miracles, the kind into which the Catholic Church may do formal investigations. This category includes Marian apparitions, eucharistic miracles, healing miracles though the intercession of potential saints, weeping statues, stigmata (i.e., in which a mystic bears the wounds of Christ), and saints’ bodies that are incorrupt. These are alleged phenomena into which the Church may launch formal investigations. In rare cases, they may be approved as worthy of belief for the Christian faithful.

Miracles, by definition, are rare. When looking at cases of Marian apparitions claimed throughout Christian history all over the world, there have been as many as 2,500 alleged sightings. But local bishops, as the first and foremost competent ecclesial authority, have given the judgment of constat de supernatualitate (“established as supernatural”) fewer than 30 times since the Council of Trent (1545-1563), which is where the processes of investigations into miracles were first formally established.
 
The Vatican may or may not show some later sign of recognition, such as a formal statement from the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith, the establishment of a feast day, erecting of a basilica, the canonization of an associated saint or a papal prayer, a visit to the site, or gift of a golden rose that may be an indication of the favor of Rome for a purported miracle.

I personally have interviewed various alleged visionaries and just about every bishop who has approved a Marian apparition in the last 20 years. These events are believable because of the testimony of good and reliable witnesses. I have also witnessed stigmatics and weeping statues where there is more physical evidence to consider.
 
What miracles have you found the most compelling?

The most compelling miracles I’ve investigated have been eucharistic miracles. Chief among these is the case of one in Lanciano, Italy, in which the consecrated hosts can be seen to be true flesh and true blood as verified by science. There is amazing correspondence in these cases all around the world, with striated heart muscle and blood type AB consistently identified in these specimens. For many people, this conjunction between faith and science as found in these eucharistic miracles can truly inspire faith.