Colombia Marks 120 Years Since the Eucharistic Miracle That Halted a Deadly Tsunami

Tumaco honors the Eucharistic miracle of 1906, when faith and the Blessed Sacrament were believed to stop a devastating tsunami.

Newsroom (05/02/2026 Gaudium Press ) In a scene resonant with faith and history, the Colombian Diocese of Tumaco held a solemn Mass on January 31st to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the Eucharistic miracle that, according to local tradition, stopped a catastrophic tsunami in 1906. The celebration took place at St. Andrew the Apostle Cathedral, where Bishop Franklin Misael Betancourt led the faithful in gratitude for what many see as Tumaco’s divine deliverance.

“Today we gather to celebrate the 120th anniversary of that Eucharistic miracle,” Bishop Betancourt said during his homily. “The miracle of the wave, when Father Gerardo and Father Julián went out from here with the Blessed Sacrament to confront the terrible wave that was coming to destroy this territory.”

The story, recorded by the diocese, recounts how on the morning of January 31, 1906, a powerful earthquake struck Colombia’s Pacific coast. The tremor caused the sea to withdraw nearly a kilometer—a warning sign of an impending tsunami. Amid rising fear, Father Gerardo Larrondo, the parish priest of Tumaco at the time, acted with extraordinary faith. He retrieved a consecrated host and a ciborium from the tabernacle, then rallied the townspeople to the shoreline.

“Come, my children,” Father Larrondo reportedly told them as he raised the Blessed Sacrament, “let us all go to the beach, and may God have mercy on us.” Together, the villagers prayed as they watched a towering wall of water approach. Then, in what witnesses later described as a miracle, Father Larrondo drew a large sign of the cross with the Eucharist. The wave, seemingly defying the laws of nature, stopped in its path.

“Miracle! Miracle!” echoed through the crowd as the sea slowly returned to its normal level. The disaster that threatened Tumaco was averted.

Since that day, the residents of Tumaco have gathered annually to honor what they call “the miracle of the wave.” Bishop Betancourt compared it to biblical wonders, saying it reflected “the greatness of God made present in the Blessed Sacrament.”

The bishop also reminded the faithful that the essence of the Eucharistic miracle continues each time the Mass is celebrated. “Just as I need daily food and air to live, I equally, and even more so, need the Eucharist for my life,” he said, urging renewed devotion among Catholics.

This year’s observance not only celebrated faith’s endurance but also closed forty hours of Eucharistic adoration organized by the diocese. The event drew hundreds of pilgrims and parishioners who came to thank God for the miracle that has defined Tumaco’s spiritual identity for more than a century.

Bishop Betancourt also revealed plans to transform St. Andrew the Apostle Cathedral into a shrine dedicated to the Eucharistic miracle. “We are going to create a shrine here, a beautiful shrine, a magnificent shrine,” he announced, calling on the faithful to support the effort through prayer and participation.

The story of Tumaco’s miracle has reached far beyond Colombia. It forms part of the extensive digital exhibition of Eucharistic miracles compiled by Blessed Carlo Acutis, the young Italian beatified for his witness to faith in the digital age. The inclusion of Tumaco’s event in Acutis’s catalog underscores its recognition within global Catholic devotion.

As Tumaco looks to its future as a “Eucharistic diocese,” its people remain bound by the same spirit that once gathered them on the shore in 1906—a faith strong enough, they believe, to calm even the sea.

• Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA

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