The Reverent Donkeys of Salzano: A Miraculous Procession

The Event in 1517

An extraordinary event occurred in Salzano in 1517. A priest named Father Lorenzo was urgently called to bring the Viaticum to an invalid on the brink of death. Due to the inappropriate season and time of day for a procession, the priest was accompanied by only one altar boy. Upon reaching the meadows surrounding the Muson River, several grazing donkeys turned towards the priest and, after approaching him, knelt down. They then followed the Most Holy Sacrament to the home of the infirm, renewing their genuflection before returning to their pasture with the priest.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola's Encounter

In 1536, Saint Ignatius of Loyola and his companions, while waiting in Venice for their departure to the Holy Land, spent several days at the Episcopal Castle of Stigliano. During this time, they learned of and personally evaluated the miraculous event described by the Jesuit Servant of God, Simone Rodriguez. Rodriguez detailed how Father Lorenzo was called to administer the Holy Viaticum on the western confines of the parish, near Zeminiana and Briana, to a dying person. The donkeys' reverent actions repeated the earlier miracle.

Historical Documentation

This miraculous event has been documented and retold through generations. It is mentioned by the Bollandists, L.M. Gerola in "The Book for All," P. Beccaro in "Close to Jesus," and P. Sanna Solaro, S.I. in a publication about Eucharistic events in Italy. The story was also discussed at the Eucharistic Congress of Milan and documented in the parish archives of Venice in 1897.

Verification and Legacy

In "The History of the Society of Jesus" by Nicolò Orlandino, printed in Bologna by Bartolomeo Zannetti in 1615, the episode is recounted again. Simone Rodriguez, a knowledgeable man who died in Lisbon, Portugal, on July 15, 1579, wrote about the event. The Curia confirmed the name of Father Lorenzo as the priest involved in the miracle, determining the date to be August 1517. Father Lorenzo was Chaplain of the Church of Salzano at the time, and his testimony was corroborated by records from the Curia and the parish pastor, Don Francesco Artuso, who served until around 1550.

This miraculous event of the donkeys' reverence towards the Eucharist continues to inspire and affirm the faith of many, serving as a powerful testament to the divine presence in the sacrament.