Blood of St. Januarius liquifies, offering ‘a voice that still preaches’

ACI Stampa, Sep 19, 2025 / 11:10 am (CNA).

The miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius was announced in Naples on Sept. 19, with the centuries-old relic once again offering what Abbot Monsignor Vincenzo De Gregorio called an “invitation to stake everything” on trust in God.

“We are delighted to announce that the relic has been found completely liquid,” said De Gregorio, the abbot of the Treasury Chapel of the Naples Cathedral.

As is tradition, the announcement was accompanied by the waving of a white handkerchief by one of the members of the Treasury of St. Januarius Deputation.

Cardinal Domenico Battaglia, the archbishop of Naples, presided over the morning Mass, then displayed the vial containing the patron saint’s blood before all present during the celebration. 

From the high altar, after showing the vial to the concelebrants, the archbishop descended among the faithful. Liturgical chants accompanied the demonstration. 

The cardinal himself was visibly moved at the beginning of the celebration. His words focused on the wars currently affecting the world and in particular on the situation in Gaza. 

During the Mass there was also a video message from Father Gabriel Romanelli, the pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, thanking the cardinal and the people of Naples for their spiritual and material support.

The archbishop in his homily touched on the ongoing war in Gaza. “It is the blood of every child of Gaza that is on display in this cathedral,” he said. “Today Naples stands still like the sea when the wind dies down. It is an inner calm, the feeling of a day of celebration, of faith, of identity.” 

“The streets become naves, the balconies become choirs, the city becomes an entire cathedral,” he said. “At the center, not an object, but a sign: a vial, a blood, a name — Januarius. Here we celebrate not a trophy but a living memory: that of the martyrs whom Love has not abandoned.”

Quoting the Gospel of Mark — “Whoever loses his life for my sake and the Gospel’s will save it” — the archbishop said: “It is not a motto for a poster, it is a bridge between two shores. Januarius passed over that bridge in his entirety: His flesh surrendered, his fear conquered, his freedom restored to its Author.” 

“He did not choose to save himself: He chose to give himself,” he said. “And the blood, which the violent believed to be a seal of oblivion, became a voice: a voice that still preaches to the city and calls it to trust the Gospel more than any calculation, more than any prudence.” 

“Let us look at that sign not with superstition but as an invitation to stake everything on entrustment,” he said. 

The dried blood of St. Januarius, who died around A.D. 305, is preserved in two glass ampoules, one larger than the other, in the Chapel of the Treasury of the Naples Cathedral.

The saint’s blood traditionally liquefies three times a year: in commemoration of the transfer of his remains to Naples (the Saturday before the first Sunday in May), on his liturgical feast (Sept. 19), and on the anniversary of the eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius in 1631, when his intercession was invoked and the city was spared from the effects of the eruption (Dec. 16).

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266669/blood-of-st-januarius-liquifies-offering-a-voice-that-still-preaches