By Father Jacek Nowak TChr,
Love One Another! 5/2005 → The main topic
The Vatican has already gathered a great deal of information on the numerous miraculous healings attributed to the intercession of the recently departed Holy Father, John Paul II. Love One Another Magazine takes this occasion to detail a number of these:
1. Cardinal Marchisano, a close associate of Pope John Paul II and rector of St. Peter’s Basilica, relates the details of his own miraculous healing, which, he alleges, was the result of the Holy Father’s prayers. The Italian cardinal first met the then Cardinal Wojtyla in 1962. Five years ago, he underwent a serious operation on one of the main arteries of his neck that supplied blood to his brain. Owing to a surgical error, his right vocal cord was left paralyzed. In consequence, his speech became so distorted and inaudible as to be completely incomprehensible. One day the Holy Father visited him. Touching the affected area, he said, “Do not fear. You’ll see, the Lord will give you your voice back. I will pray for you.” Shortly after this, the cardinal experienced a complete cure.
2. The Szechinskis have six children. Their daughter, Victoria, was born in Poland in 1982. Immediately after her birth she was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in the chest. In December 1982, the entire family emigrated to Toronto, Canada. Victoria’s tumor grew steadily larger. Treatment proved to be useless. Doctors gave her three years to live at the most. During the Holy Father’s visit to Toronto in 1984, Victoria’s parents tried hard to have John Paul II touch their incurably ill daughter. They prayed for the sick child, entrusting her entirely to God. As it turned out, they were unable to meet the Pope. However, they did not give up. Instead, they wrote to the Vatican requesting a private audience with the Holy Father. To their great joy they received a favorable reply. The audience was scheduled for March 1985. Victoria and her mother flew to Rome. Danuta Szechinska recalls with tears in her eyes the moment that John Paul II appeared and approached them. The Holy Father took Victoria in his arms and kissed her. “Pray and put all your trust in God,” he said to the mother. “If God decides Victoria must go to Him, He will take her to Himself. If it is His will that she remain with you, that is what will happen. Treat Victoria just as you treat your other children. It will be as God wants it to be.”
The day after the audience, mother and daughter returned to Canada. On arriving in Toronto, Victoria fell so ill that she had to be taken promptly to hospital. The doctors were convinced she was dying. A few days later, they sent Victoria home that she might die surrounded by her loved ones. But on returning home, to everyone’s great surprise, Victoria began to feel much better. Subsequent tests revealed the tumor had completely disappeared.
Victoria is now 22 years old. Regular medical checkups confirm that she is totally cured. She is now studying law, has a deep religious faith, devotes considerable time to daily prayer, and loves sports, especially swimming, skiing and soccer. She is particularly fond of hiking and mountain climbing. The first thing she does upon awaking every morning is pray. She thanks God for another day of life and another chance to serve Him.
On Saturday April 2, at 3 p.m. Canadian time, she felt prompted to go to her room where a picture of the Holy Father hung, and pray for the intention of the ailing Pope. “I knelt down and prayed. Only later did I realize that this happened at the very moment John Paul II died. He had carried out his mission on earth….He taught us how to live, how to suffer and die. I have learned how important life is, how fragile our earthly life is, how our lives rest entirely in the hands of a loving God, and what a great gift faith is. I suppose this is the most important lesson of John Paul II’s pontificate.”
3. In October of 1984 the Pope made a visit to Puerto Rico. Soon after he landed, a doctor presented a blind girl to him. The Holy Father laid his hands over her head. Upon returning home, the girl recovered her sight.
4. On March 14th 1979, during a general audience, the Pope kissed cancer sufferer Kay Kelly of Liverpool. A few months later her cancer went into complete remission.
5. In November1980, during an earthquake in Italy, 16-year-old Emilio Cocconi was buried alive. Although he survived, he was left without the use of his legs. While visiting the stricken area, the Pope met and consoled him. Four years later, John Paul II met him again at an audience in Rome. Upon blessing him, the Holy Father said, “The Good Lord will help you.” Four weeks later the young man was restored to full health.
6. In 1981, during the Pope’s visit to Manilla in the Philippines, Madre Vangie, a 51-year-old paralyzed nun, sat waiting at the curb for him to pass. She had been seriously injured in an accident in 1966, and. since then, had been consigned to a wheelchair. The Pope laid his hands on her head and prayed over her. A few minutes later, the nun straightened up and, fully healed, left her wheelchair.
7. In January 1980, in Castel Gandolfo, the Pope met a 10-year-old paralyzed girl, Stefani Mosca. He kissed and comforted her. Some time later, she saw the Holy Father again — this time, fully cured.
8. The healing, in 1990, of Helano Mireles, a 4-year-old Mexican boy suffering from leukemia, made a huge sensation. His sickness left him immediately after the Holy Father had blessed him. Cardinal Javier Lozano Berragan witnessed the incident. Later, he was to declare, “ I stood by and saw the Pope kiss and bless the boy.”
All these reported miracles are now being thoroughly investigated
by Vatican
The article was published with the permission from "Love One Another!"
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