Q’s from the Pews: What actually happens during the consecration?November 16, 2025

The consecration of the host and wine is one of the Church’s greatest mysteries. In this sacred moment, the bread and wine— “fruits of the earth and work of human hands”—undergo a profound transformation. Their underlying reality changes, becoming the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. This miracle occurs at every Mass, where Christ is truly present—both spiritually and physically. The Church refers to this mystery as transubstantiation.

Transubstantiation was declared a dogma at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215. The Church adopted Aristotle’s metaphysical framework, which posits that every object has an underlying “substance” that defines its essence. For example, bread is composed of wheat and water , but when these elements combine, they form a new substance—bread. Though the wheat and water remain, they are transformed into something greater.

Every substance can be broken down into smaller components. Carl Sagan famously said, all matter is ultimately “star dust”—the elemental particles from which everything is made. At the deepest level, we arrive at the void from which God created the universe. As Paul writes, “Through Him and for Him all things came to be and continue” (Rom 11:36; Col 1:16). All existence flows from God. During the consecration, the priest—acting in the person of Christ through the grace of ordination—calls upon the Father to send the Holy Spirit. The prayer asks that “these gifts may become the Body and Blood of Christ.” Then, through the words of institution— “This is my body, this is my blood”—the bread and wine are transformed by the power of God.

Transubstantiation mirrors the mystery of the Incarnation. The Father sent the Holy Spirit to Mary, and through her flesh, Jesus was formed and became the Son of God. Consecration transforms the bread and wine into Christ present. Please email any questions to: dre@saintcolumbachurch.org

Thank you!

Catherine Chayko

Director of Music Ministry

Bulletin, Social Media and Website Administrator

St. Columba Catholic Church

342 Iron St.

Bloomsburg, PA 17815

(570) 784-0801 x 5

The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.  Zephaniah 3:17