Pope Leo XIV has formally recognized a medical miracle that took place in Pawtucket, Rhode Island in 2007.
The miracle involves the recovery of a premature baby, Tyquan Hall, who was born via emergency cesarean section and suffered from oxygen deprivation. Tyquan’s doctors did not expect him to survive due to severe lack of oxygen and other symptoms.
Dr. Juan Sanchez, the attending physician, prayed for the intercession of the 19th-century Spanish priest, Father Salvador Valera Parra, a regional patron in his native Spain.
Moments after the prayer, the baby’s heart began to beat normally without further medical intervention. The following day, he was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit, although doctors still expected severe neurological damage. However, Tyquan was discharged from the hospital on March 1, 2007 and continued to grow normally, speaking at 18 months and walking at 2 years of age, ultimately leading a healthy and active life.
The investigation into the miracle began in 2014 when a bishop from Parra’s native Spain sent investigators to Rhode Island. The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints attributed Tyquan’s healing to Father Parra’s spiritual intercession, and Pope Leo XIV officially approved this declaration in 2025.
This recognized miracle places Father Valera Parra on the path to beatification, the final step before being potentially canonized as a saint, which would require a second verified miracle.
The Diocese of Providence expressed excitement about this recognition, emphasizing the power of prayer and the closeness of God through the intercession of holy individuals. This marks a significant event for Rhode Island and the Catholic Church, being the first recognized miracle in the state.
Israel said Thursday that it “deeply regrets” a deadly strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church, the Church of the Holy Family, which killed three people. The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged it hit the church “mistakenly“.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which has jurisdiction for Roman Catholics in Gaza, said the Holy Family Church was struck by Israel on Thursday morning. The church has become a shelter for the enclave’s tiny Christian community amid the 20-month war.
The office of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “Israel deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza’s Holy Family Church. Every innocent life lost is a tragedy.”
“Israel is investigating the incident and remains committed to protecting civilians and holy sites,” the office added in a statement. The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged it hit the church “mistakenly“.
Pope Leo received a phone call from Netanyahu on Friday, following the strike, the Vatican said, in which the patriarch expressed the importance of protecting places of worship. During the phone call, which Netanyahu’s office is yet to comment on, Leo renewed his calls for a ceasefire to be reached by the warring sides in Gaza, a statement said.
Pope Leo “again expressed his concern for the dramatic humanitarian situation of the population in Gaza, whose heartbreaking price is paid especially by children, the elderly and the sick,” according to the statement.
When the early morning shell hit the church, about 600 men, women and children had been sheltering there, including about 50 people with disabilities and ill children cared for by the Missionaries of Charity, .
Pope Leo also telephoned Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, July 18, telling him, “It is time to stop this slaughter,” Vatican News reported.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, together with Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, were leading a delegation into Gaza to bring hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid into the enclave and show their support for Gaza’s Catholics, according to a statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. This is highly unusual, given Israel’s tight control over access to the Territory.
The two expressed “the shared pastoral solicitude of the Churches of the Holy Land and their concern for the community of Gaza,” according to a statement from the Jerusalem Patriarchate.
As they were crossing the border, Pope Leo telephoned the Cardinal to “express his closeness, love, prayer, support and desire to do everything possible for there to be not only a ceasefire but also an end to this tragedy,” the cardinal told Vatican News.
“Pope Leo said repeatedly that it is time to stop this slaughter, and that what has happened is unjustifiable, and that we must ensure there are no more victims,” he said.
The Vatican press office said the pope also told the Cardinal that he intends to do “everything possible to stop the needless slaughter of innocents.”
“With the patriarch (Cardinal Pizzaballa), the pope turned his thoughts to all the innocent victims, those of yesterday’s attack and all those of this time of sorrow in the Holy Land and throughout the Middle East,” the press office said in a brief statement. The pope also asked the Cardinal about those who had been injured in the attack and their condition, it said.
Pope Leo then telephoned Father Carlos Ferrero, the provincial superior of the Institute of the Incarnate Word — the religious order to which Father Romanelli belongs — to express “his closeness to those in the community — faithful and religious — who were with him.”
The pope “assures everyone of his prayers and unceasing commitment to peace, the only way that protects humanity on all sides,” it said.
Everyone in Gaza “will not be forgotten, nor will they be abandoned,” the patriarchate said in a written statement July 18.
The two expressed “the shared pastoral solicitude of the Churches of the Holy Land and their concern for the community of Gaza,” according to a statement from the Jerusalem Patriarchate.
The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged it hit the church “mistakenly.
Born in 2010, James Engstrom had a true knot in his umbilical cord that tightened during labor and cut off his oxygen supply, resulting in his stillbirth.
His parents asked for the intercession of Fulton J. Sheen, and after remaining without a pulse for 61 minutes, the baby started breathing, which doctors said was not explainable by medical science.
The Vatican-approved miracle fulfills one of the requirements for the beatification of Sheen and brings him one step closer to Sainthood.
Blessed Pier Georgio Frassati will be declared a Saint by Pope Leo XIV on September 7th, 2025. A second miraculous healing attributed to his intercession was recognized by Pope Francis in a decree on Nov. 25, 2024.
Editors note: To be declared a saint in the Catholic Church, two miracles are generally required, attributed to the intercession of the candidate after their death. (In the case of martyrs, only one miracle is needed). The process for becoming a saint involves beatification, where one miracle is proven, followed by canonization, which requires a second miracle.
The first miracle attributed to the intercession of Pier Georgio Frassati:
The healing of Domenico Sellan: Domenico was 40 years old in 1933 and suffering from a tubercular disease of the spine, was paralyzed and nearing death. A priest visited him on December 28, 1933, and brought him a small prayer card of Pier Giorgio (whose cause for canonization was opened soon after his death). Domenico was miraculously cured and lived another 35 years.
The second miracle attributed to the intercession of Pier Georgio Frassati:
The healing of Juan Gutierrez: Juan Gutierrez, 38, was a seminarian of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California. Juan tore his Achilles tendon while playing basketball with other seminarians in 2017.
The day after getting an MRI for his torn tendon, he became concerned about the long, painful recovery as well the expenses that would be incurred. Juan headed for the seminary chapel “with a heavyheart”.
As he prayed, Juan felt inspired to make a novena to Pier Giorgio Frassati. A few days into the novena, Gutierrez went into the chapel to pray when nobody was there. As he prayed, he recalled feeling an unusual sensation around his injured foot.
“I was praying, and I started to feel a sensation of heat around the area of my injury. I honestly thought that maybe something was catching on fire, underneath the pews,” Juan recalled at a press conference on Dec. 16, 2024. Juan remembered from his experiences with the charismatic renewal movement that heat can be associated with healing from God. He found himself gazing at the tabernacle, weeping.
“That event touched me deeply,” Juan said.
He was not only touched spiritually, but he was also healed physically. Incredibly, he was able to walk normally again and no longer needed a brace!
Juan was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in June 2023 and is now Father Juan Gutierrez.
In a decree released on May 22, 2024, Pope Francis announced he would convene a Consistory of Cardinals to deliberate the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis as a result of a miracle recognized on that date.
Pope Francis beatified the millenial Carlo Acutis in 2020 in Assisi, where Blessed Carlo had made multiple pilgrimages and where his mortal remains rest.
The Canonization had been scheduled for earlier in the year, but was postponed due to the death of Pope Francis.
Beatification, when someone is declared “Blessed”, usually requires that the Vatican confirm that a miracle took place as the result of that person interceding with God. To be clear, God performs the miracle, not the intercessor. Two miracles are required before a “Blessed” can be declared a saint
First Miracle attributed to the intercession of Carlo Acutis:
In 2020, the Vatican recognized Acutis’ first miracle: the curing of a 4-year-old Brazilian boy named Mattheus in 2013. The boy was healed from a serious birth defect called an annular pancreas after he and his mother asked Acutis to intercede asking the Lord to grant a miracle of healing
Second Miracle attributed to the intercession of Carlo Acutis:
The miracle recognized on May 22, 2024 is related to a woman from Costa Rica.
On July 8, 2022, a woman named Liliana prayed at the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis in Assisi asking his intercession for her daughter, Varleria. Valeria was attending university in Florence, and had fallen from her bicycle, suffering severe head trauma. She was going to require craniotomy surgery, and the removal of the right occipital bone to reduce pressure on her brain, with what her doctors said was a very low chance of survival.
Liliana left a letter at the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis describing her plea. That same day, the hospital informed her that Valeria had begun to breath spontaneously. The next day, she began to move and partially regain her speech.
On July 18, a CAT scan proved that her hemorrhaging had disappeared, and on August 11 Valeria was moved to rehabilitation therapy. She made quick progress, and on September 2 Valeria and Liliana made another pilgrimage to Assisi to thank Blessed Carlo for his intercession.
We look forward to the future Canonization of what many call a “Saint of the New Millenium”
Pope Leo XIV is restoring the tradition of staying in Castel Gandolfo during the hot summer months of July and August….a practice shunned by Pope Francis. This will no doubt bring great joy to the residents of the town, who relied on the influx of visitors during the summer months to help bolster their economy.
Pope Leo XIV will spend part of July and a weekend in August at Villa Barberini, rather than the Papal Residence at Castel Gandolfo, which was turned in to a museum during the Papacy of Pope Francis. Villa Baberini was established by Taddeo Barberini, nephew of Pope Urban VIII. The construction of the mansion and the landscaping of the gardens, apparently entrusted to Gian Lorenzo Bernini, ended in 1635. The mansion consists of the extension of the pre-existing hunting lodge of Monsignor Scipione Visconti: and in some parts of the villa the coat of arms of the “biscione” of the Milanese Visconti family still remains.
The Piazza Pia in front of it is the largest square in Albano’s historic center, opened in the seventeenth century as part of the urban reorganization of the town to create the “trident” of streets. It took its current name in 1847, in memory of Pope Pius IX’s visit to Albano the previous year: the name of the square has since undergone a series of name changes, which have not, however, changed its popularly recognized name. The square has been the scene of several visits by popes since that of Pius IX.
Pope Leo will be celebrating Sunday Mass in local churches nearby and praying the Angelus with pilgrims in the town’s Liberty Square on Sundays.
According to the official Vatican News statement, his stay will begin on the afternoon of Sunday, July 6 when he transfers from the Papal Palace in Vatican City to Castel Gandolfo.
On Sunday, July 13, at 10:00 AM, Pope Leo XIV will celebrate Mass in the Pontifical Parish of Saint Thomas of Villanova in Castel Gandolfo, and at 12:00 PM he will recite the Angelus prayer in Liberty Square, in front of the Apostolic Palace.
On Sunday, July 20, at 9:30 AM, the Holy Father will celebrate Mass in the Cathedral of Albano, just 1.2 miles (3 km) away. At noon, he will again recite the Angelus prayer in Liberty Square in Castel Gandolfo.
That afternoon, the Holy Father will return to the Vatican, to participate in The Jubilee of Youth, scheduled to take place from July 28 through August 3. He will travel back to Castel Gandolfo in mid-August.
During the month of July, all private audiences are suspended, as well as the Wednesday General Audiences on July 2, 9, 16, and 23. The weekly General Audiences will resume on July 30.
On Friday, August 15, at 10:00 AM, the Holy Father will celebrate Mass in the Pontifical Parish of Castel Gandolfo, reciting the noon-day Angelus in Liberty Square.
He will again recite the Angelus on Sunday, August 17, at noon in Liberty Square. That afternoon, Pope Leo XIV will depart from Castel Gandolfo and return to the Vatican.
That was my plea, but my dad said: “We don’t take a vacation from God”
Growing up in western New York State back in the 60’s, our family always went to church on Sundays. We were “low-church” Episcopalians (no “smells & bells” for us…we left that up to those who were “high church” Episcopalians….good grief, we thought they might just as well have been Catholics).
In our church there was just a plain cross over the altar (which faced East, against the wall….we did have an altar rail and took communion kneeling, but the similarity ended there).
Photo courtesy St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Harris Hill, New York
We recited the Nicene Creed…but when we got to the part about one holy, catholic and apostolic church my big sister leaned over to me and said “don’t worry, that doesn’t mean we’re Catholic“….whew…what a relief…..apparently being Catholic was something to avoid at all costs, although I had no idea why!
Now that I am Catholic, there is one thing I still miss. it’s the sense of reverence that comes with kneeling at the altar rail. since they no longer exist in many Catholic churches.
Well, back to my point about going to church while on vacation:
In our family, we went to church on Sunday, even when on vacation. Having to wake up and get dressed seemed out of place. Wasn’t a vacation supposed to mean a break from all the rules of every day life? But my dad was serious about his religion and so we went to church on Sunday……..no matter where we were.
It was pretty easy to find an Episcopal church in many towns. As you arrived at the city limits, you could often find a sign, like the one shown here on the left.
Some times we felt a bit out of place in our casual clothes among all those people in their “Sunday Best”.
Today, of course, vacationers might fit right in with those who trot off to their local Sunday Mass in shorts and flip-flops…but don’t get me started on that!
If you’re not lucky enough to spot a sign….yes, some Catholic churches still have them, but not many…..then be sure to plan ahead. And, of course, that is one of main reasons we developed The Catholic travel Guide.
Photo by Felix Koutchinski on Unsplash
You might find a New York Cop…or a Nun… to help with directions, but that is pretty unlikely (kinda like the photo, though, so I thought I would add it to this article).
In the U.S. & Canada there is a website called Masstimes.org that is useful.
Otherwise, dads…Sunday Mass attendance is an obligation under the Catechism of the Catholic Church (I really hate that word “obligation”…shouldn’t it be a “privilege?)….so spend as much effort planning to attend Mass as you do getting to your destination! Some day in the future, your kids will appreciate it as I now do.
Opening June 3rd in select theaters, the new movie “The Face of Jesus” gives us a fascinating glimpse into the history of the images of the Face of Jesus…some of which are rather obscure. Possibly the most well-known image is on the Holy Shroud of Turin which, of course, not only shows the face of Jesus, but His full body as well. Then, there is Veronica’s Veil, which is normally on display in Manoppello, Italy.
But there other less well known images….and their history and significance are just now being made known (this movie being one of the means of helping spread this devotion).
Why the movie “The Face of Jesus” fascinated us:
The movie introduces us to some of the scientific basis for believing these images to be of supernatural origin. It also helps us to understand why the images are so treasured and also helps explain the history of several of these images as they were moved from one place to another throughout the ancient world.
But for those not just interested in the scientific evidence; but wanting more, what we found especially interesting in the movie were the testimonies of those who had prayed before the image of the Face of Jesus and the results they reported.
We have mentioned this ad-infinitum, but just to refresh: as Catholics we do not worship statues or images, but we do revere them: they are not the object of worship themselves, but rather a means of focusing their minds and hearts on the holy person or event they represent. They are used to assist in prayer and devotion….a distinction that many critics of the Catholic Church fail to make. Sadly, even some Catholic make the mistake of saying that we are worshipping an image, although it is a matter of symantics, not the real meaning of their statement.
Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1955, Robert Francis Prevost is an Augustinian who holds a doctorate in canon law. Our new Holy Father is an alumnus of the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He was created cardinal on September 30, 2023 by Pope Francis. The Augustinians are known as a teaching order as well as a missionary order.
In the past he served in Chiclayo, Peru, where he was known both as a bridge-builder and for his outreach to the poor. He holds dual citizenship of both the U.S. and Peru.
More recently, he held the office of Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America since 2023.
In his first public appearance as Pope Leo XIV he quoted Saint Augustine: “For you I am a Bishop, with you I am a Christian“.
Perhaps not so well known as other candidates….and certainly much less mentioned (if at all), he becomes the first Pope from the U.S.A.
Although he is de-facto Pope already by virtue of his election to the papacy, Pope Leo XIV will be officially installed at a Mass in St. Peter’s Square on May 18. This Mass, which is a tradition marking the formal beginning of a new pontificate, is also known as the Mass for the Beginning of the Pontificate. Coincidentally, although it is just a coincidence, this happens to be the birthday of Pope John Paul II.
What’s in a name? Or, more importantly…..What’s in a name for a Pope?
When it comes to Popes choosing a name, there is great significance. They don’t just pick a name out of a hat, or find one that sounds good. Almost always, a new pope chooses a name that will relate to his style of governance within the Church. Leo means lion.
Pope Leo the Great meets Attila the Hun by Raphael
Interestingly, in 452 A.D. Pope Leo I (now know as Pope Leo the Great) went out alone to meet Attila the Hun, who had ravaged much of Europe including norther Italy, in an attempt to persuade him to spare Rome.
That meeting was subsequently immortalized in a fresco by the High Renaissance painter Raphael (1483-1520). The fresco now hangs in the Vatican Museums.
History shows that Attila subsequently withdrew his forces. Obviously there have been quite a few more Pope Leos….12 more in fact.
Another predecessor, Pope Leo XIII wrote 12 encyclicals on the Rosary and wrote the Saint Michael Prayer after a vision he experienced in 1884. The vision reportedly involved Satan boasting to God about his ability to destroy the Church within 75-100 years. Also, Leo XIII revived the study of St Thomas Aquinas
An interesting fact is that the date of the election of Pope Leo XIV, May 8, is The feast of Our Lady of Pompeii….the Patronage of Our Lady over the Dominican Order. .
The guessing as to what his Papacy will be like is all over the place, of course.
Our expectation is that he will probably trend a bit more traditional than modernists would have preferred and bit less traditional than the traditionalists would have preferred; although by his choice of vestments we believe he will lean toward the traditionalist side. Meantime, expect some hit pieces from the secular media as they dig through every thing he has ever said or done…..and put their spin on it.
His first homily as Pope Leo XIV gives us a clue as to the missionary emphasis of his Papacy:
“Where Christians are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied is where the Catholic Church’s missionary outreach is most desperately needed” He could easily be talking about the secularization of many western nations, including the U.S.
It will be interesting to see if he moves in to the Papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace…a place where Pope Francis chose not to live, preferring the simple lodgings at Casa Marta.
One interesting quote from him that might give us a clue is when, as Bishop in Chiclayo, when he opposed a government plan to add teachings on gender in schools. He told the local news media”The promotion of gender ideology is confusing, because it seeks to create genders that don’t exist“.
And another quote: “We must be careful not to make the Church a mirror of the world. She is called to be a sign of contradiction.”
That seems very similar to Luke 2:34, when Simeon blesses Mary and speaks a prophecy about the child Jesus. He declares that Jesus is “appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against“.
On May 14 Pope Leo XIV held his first public Papal Audience, Wednesday being the traditional day for Papal public audiences.
Pope Leo has made a surprise visit to the Shrine of Madonna of Good Counsel, outside Rome. It is an Augustinian Shrine……Pope Leo is an Augustinian and has a great devotion to the Mother of Good Counsel.
Here is the official press release from the Shrine:
“With great surprise Pope Leo XIV, our Augustinian confrere Fr. Robert Francis Prevost, presented himself this afternoon around 4 pm on a visit to the Shrine, to entrust his election and the entire Church to the Mother of Good Counsel.
Pope Leo has made a surprise visit to the Shrine of Madonna of Good Counsel, outside Rome. It is an Augustinian Shrine. Pope Leo has a great devotion to the Mother of Good Counsel. pic.twitter.com/R3wfLDlHRi
As a cardinal on April 25, 2024, he had celebrated Mass in the Shrine on the occasion of the Feast of the “Venus” of the Mother of Good Counsel. In his homily, the then Cardinal Prevost expressed his devotion to the Virgin, exhorting the faithful to be inspired by Mary to spread peace and reconciliation in the world.
This afternoon Pope Leo arrived in a Volkswagen multivan, sitting in the front seat; he was greeted by a cheering crowd of hundreds of people gathered in the square or looking out by windows and balconies. Many shouted “Lion, Leo” and the nearby streets were gradually crowded. Entering the church, where he greeted the religious, the Pontiff stopped in prayer, first in front of the altar and then in front of the image of the Virgin. With those present he recited the prayer of John Paul II to the Mother of Good Counsel.
At the end, after the Hail Mary and the song of the Salve Regina, the Pope addressed those who were in the church, greeting them and the people of Genazzano gathered outside: “I wanted so much to come here in these first days of the new ministry that the Church has delivered to me, to carry out this mission as the Successor of Peter”. And recalling the visit made after the a prior election of the Order of St. Augustine, and the choice to “offer life to the Church,” Leo XIV reiterated his ‘trust in the Mother of the Good Counsel,’ the company of ‘light, wisdom’ with the words addressed by Mary to the servants on the day of the Wedding at Cana, reported in John’s Gospel: ‘Whatever he says to you, do it.’
What a moment of grace! Let us gather as a Church under the mantle of our Mother together with our Pontiff, and we strengthen prayer for him, for his mission for the universal Church, for the Church and for the whole world”
Pope Leo XIV wrote in the Shrine’s guestbook:
“Still in the first days of the pontificate, I felt the duty and a deep longing to approach Genazzano, the shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel, who, throughout my life, has accompanied me with her maternal presence, with her wisdom, and the example of her love for her son who is always the center of my faith. Way, truth and life. Thank you Mother, for your help – accompany me in this newmission”
