On November 15, 2011, the Vilakkannoor Christ the King Church, under the Archdiocese of Thalassery, witnessed an event that would stir spiritual and scientific discourse for years to come. During the morning Holy Mass celebrated by parish vicar Fr. Thomas Pathikkal, a remarkable occurrence took place — the Holy Face of Jesus manifested itself on the Eucharistic Host. As the faithful engaged in prayer, a mysterious sign appeared on the Host, gradually revealing the divine image at its center.

Recognizing the sanctity of the moment, Fr. Pathikkal carefully placed the Eucharist in a monstrance and concluded the Mass. Afterward, he presented the miraculous Host to the gathered congregation, placing it in the church for public veneration. Word spread swiftly, and the church saw a wave of devotees arriving to witness the phenomenon.

In response, Archbishop Emeritus Mar George Valiyamattom ordered the Eucharist to be relocated on November 17, 2013, to the Archbishop’s House in Thalassery for safekeeping and further reflection. Cardinal Mar George Alencherry, then Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, was informed and tasked the Church’s Doctrinal Commission to begin an official ecclesiastical investigation. This commission included Mar Joseph Kallarangatt, Mar George Njaralakkatt, and Mar Joseph Arumachadath. 

A special committee of theological and scientific experts—comprising Monsignor Mathew Vellanikkal, Rev. Dr. Jose Palakeel MST, Rev. Dr. Sibi Pulikkal, Rev. Dr. Joseph Pamplany, Dr. Thomas Melvettam, and Rev. Dr. George Kuttilil—was appointed to study the event in depth. Their report, submitted on December 21, 2013, acknowledged the significance of the apparition, though the Host continued to be kept in private custody at the Archbishop’s chapel.

Further responsibility for overseeing the investigation fell to then Auxiliary Bishop Mar Joseph Pamplani, who was also a member of the CBCI Doctrinal Commission. On August 22, 2018, after five years in private custody, the Eucharist was returned to Vilakkannoor parish. At this time, Archbishop Mar George Njaralakkatt issued a decree stipulating that only the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith could render an official confirmation of the miracle.

In accordance with Vatican instructions, the Eucharist was sent to Rome in 2014 via the Apostolic Nuncio in India for deeper analysis. Nearly a decade later, on August 8, 2023, Archbishop Pamplani formally reached out to Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, requesting an update on the study.

On September 21, 2023, the Vatican responded with a directive to pursue advanced scientific tests. In January 2024, the Eucharist was returned from the Vatican Consulate in Delhi to Thalassery, as India possessed the necessary scientific infrastructure to conduct the analyses.

Following this, the Vishwasa Thiru Sangham outlined three key scientific procedures for examination: Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), and Mass Spectrometry. Christ University in Bangalore, equipped with modern laboratories, was chosen for the task. The Eucharist was brought there on January 23, 2024.

The analysis team included distinguished scientists—Dr. Jyothis Devasya of Christ University’s Research Lab, Dr. Joby Xavier of McMaster University, and Dr. P.T. Varghese of St. John’s Medical College—as well as theologians Rev. Dr. George Carrot and Rev. Dr. Sebastian Chalakkal. Their meticulous study found no evidence of any external materials or tampering. The chemical makeup of the image was consistent with the rest of the Host, confirming it was not artificially created.

Though the Church teaches that the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist transcends the need for physical signs, the Vilakkannoor event has come to represent a profound moment of spiritual affirmation. It stands not only as a source of devotion for the faithful but also as a significant case where faith and science converged in respectful inquiry.

The complete scientific and theological report was submitted to the Vatican on April 7, 2024. On March 19, 2025, after years of rigorous analysis and ecclesiastical review, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith formally declared that there was no canonical obstacle to recognizing the Vilakkannoor Eucharistic phenomenon as an extraordinary occurrence—sealing its place in modern Church history.