ST. PAUL, Minn. (OSV News) — During Mass Sept. 14 at a Catholic parish in suburban Minneapolis, Father Brent Bowman, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, had an experience during the Eucharistic prayer that left him weeping for more than a minute.ST. PAUL, Minn. (OSV News) — During Mass Sept. 14 at a Catholic parish in suburban Minneapolis, Father Brent Bowman, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, had an experience during the Eucharistic prayer that left him weeping for more than a minute.
His emotional reaction at St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church in Hopkins was captured on a livestream video of the Mass, which has since circulated widely online.
“During the consecration prayer over the wine at the altar, as I spoke the words, I was given what I believe to be internal knowledge of the power of these words being spoken and the reality of their effect to the point that I had difficult(y) speaking,” Father Bowman wrote in a statement posted Sept. 16 to the archdiocese’s website to clarify what can be seen in the video.
“With each word, I became more physically overwhelmed as seen in the video,” he continued. “At the same time, I was given sensory knowledge of the weight of God’s power coming down upon the altar, and I felt the heaviness of Jesus’s substantial presence in the chalice in my hands.”
Not Eucharistic miracle, but ‘private spiritual experience’
Father Bowman, who was ordained in 2024, said that what he experienced while celebrating the Mass is not what the Church would consider a Eucharistic miracle, adding that “never did I see real blood or human flesh with my eyes.” He called it a “private spiritual experience” that was manifested publicly to the Massgoers, which included students, teachers and staff of Chesterton Academy in Hopkins, where he is school chaplain.
As he uttered the words “Do this in memory of me” while raising the chalice, he felt it become so heavy that he was not able to hold it up. With trembling hands, he set the chalice down on the altar, then bowed before it and continued to weep for more than a minute.
As this unfolded before a congregation that remained silent, he began to have an interior experience of the real presence of Jesus in the precious blood.
“I believe I was given grace to understand more deeply the bitter sweetness of Our Lord’s Passion and how much blood Christ shed for the immense weight of all our sins,” Father Bowman wrote. “I believe I experienced this weight in the chalice. This spiritual experience emotionally and physically overwhelmed me.”
‘Signs of God’s abundant love’
Eventually, he was able to continue with the Eucharistic prayer and elevate the chalice. As word spread about his experience and more people began watching the video, he received lots of attention that led to his wanting to clarify the experience.
“Private spiritual encounters with God like these are completely unmerited gifts and signs of God’s abundant love for all his people,” wrote Father Bowman. “They are not necessarily signs of any person’s holiness.”
On Sept. 16, Father Bowman wrote the statement that he believes people should read to properly understand his experience. In an interview after the statement was released, he talked about the importance of “letting this official statement speak for itself.”
“There have been a lot of rumors, a lot of misinformation, a lot of presumption,” he said. “I don’t want to confuse people.”
‘Every Mass is a Eucharistic miracle’
He also is uncomfortable with the “unwanted attention” that can come from an experience like this.
“I don’t do anything on social media,” he said. “So, there’s something kind of odd about this whole thing.”
Father Bowman noted that he has not watched the video, but he realizes that many others have, which is why he felt he needed to write a statement. He hopes people will know and understand just how powerful the Mass is and enter into it more fully.
“Every Mass is a Eucharistic miracle,” he said. “That needs to be said. It should be said. If we’re only paying attention to the mysteries and leaning in, might we come to understand the deeper reality of his Real Presence.”
He wants his short but powerful experience to be a teachable moment. “I pray this brief testimony moves all our hearts to contemplate more deeply the mysteries of the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist and the Precious Blood,” he wrote in his statement.
The experience occurred on the Church’s feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Dave Hrbacek is senior content specialist for The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. This story was originally published by The Catholic Spirit and is distributed through a partnership with OSV News.
