The Eucharistic Miracle of Canosio

MIRACLES-panels 11/02/08 14:32 Page 26 This particular Eucharistic miracle features a pastor, Father Antonio Reinardi, whose deep faith in the Eucharist was responsible for saving the village of Canosio from the torrential floods of the Maira River with a blessing of the Blessed Sacrament, There were many witnessed the miracle and to this day the townspeople of Canosio celebrate a feast during the Octave of Corpus Christi to commemorate the miracle, anosio is a small village in the region of Val Maira, in the Diocese of Saluzzo. In 1630, its townspeople had grown cold in their religious observance due to the spread of the Calvinistic heresy. A day after the feast of Corpus Christi, the river at Maira flooded because of a torrential rainfall.

The flood waters were so violent and powerful that some massive stones were dislodged from the mountain and threat- ened to destroy the valley and the village itself). Fazer the pastor of the town, assembled the townspeople with the ringing of the church bells and exhorted them to pray that the Lord would stop the flood. He vowed that if the village of Canosio were spared from the flood's destruction, the townspeople would celebrate in perpetuity an annual feast of towards the raging flood with some of the faithful as they all recited the "Miserere Psalm 51.

After he blessed the raging waters, the rain stopped at once and the flood waters peaked and returned to their normal level. This incident revived the faith of the townspeople of Canosio and to this day they observe the vow that was made. Unfortunately, many of the documents which attest to the miracle and which were preserved in the parish archives from the 17th century were burned during the war between France and Spain.

What is extant, however, is a copy describing the events and which was left by the pastor who was a witness to what occurred.