Tumaco, 1906
The great submarine earthquake and tsunami of 1906 off the Pacific coast caused widespread destruction. An eyewitness from Panama City described the catastrophe:
Suddenly a colossal wave engulfed the port, surged into the market sweeping away everything in its path; boats that had been beached were hurled great distances inland, causing immense devastation.
The island of Tumaco miraculously survived this catastrophic tsunami through the vibrant faith of its inhabitants and the Eucharistic blessing imparted by Father Gerardo Larrondo with the Blessed Sacrament. On January 31, 1906, the inhabitants of this small Pacific island felt a violent earthquake that lasted approximately ten minutes.
Terror-stricken, the entire population rushed to the church to implore the parish priest, Father Gerardo Larrondo, and his associate Father Julián, to organize an immediate procession with the Blessed Sacrament. Meanwhile, the ocean was receding rapidly, withdrawing nearly a mile and a half from the coastline, signaling the imminent return of a towering wall of water. Father Gerardo, deeply moved, consumed all the small consecrated Hosts from the ciborium and reserved only the large Host for the monstrance.
Then, turning to his flock, he cried out: "Let us go, my children, let us all go to the beach, and may God have mercy upon us!". Bolstered with supernatural confidence in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, the entire town marched toward the shore. Father Larrondo walked bravely down to the water's edge, monstrance in hand. Just as the towering wave was surging toward the shore, he raised the Sacred Host with a steady hand and a heart brimming with faith, tracing the sign of the cross over the approaching waters. It was a moment of supreme solemnity.
The wave rolled forward, but before the priests could even grasp what had occurred, the people, weeping with wonder and awe, shouted: "Miracle! Miracle!". Indeed, as though halted by an invisible, transcendent power, the massive wave that threatened to obliterate the town of Tumaco stopped abruptly and began to subside, while the sea gradually returned to its normal level. The inhabitants of Tumaco, weeping tears of gratitude and rejoicing, gave glory to God for their deliverance. News of the Miracle of Tumaco spread throughout the Catholic world, and Father Larrondo received numerous letters from Europe requesting prayers.
Source
Text and photographs: international exhibition «The Eucharistic Miracles of the World», by Saint Carlo Acutis. Original panel at miracolieucaristici.org.