Gulf Pine Catholic

4 Gulf Pine Catholic • June 26, 2020 Thank you to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Holy Mary, and St. Jude, for all the prayers that have been answered. AVN Callahan, with help from tribunal member Valarie Cooper, had to work diligently for months to schedule and conduct the interviews, navigate HIPPA privacy regulations to assemble medical records and reports, ul- trasound imaging, and ultimately compile a full dossier of evidence to send to the Vatican. Callahan said he felt the weight of the task, because “the medical portion of the investigation would deter- mine whether it was a miracle.” The other key part of the investigation was whether the miracle is truly attributable to the intercession of Father McGivney. “The Vatican had very precise ques- tions about the timing and the prayers, who prayed when, and to whom,” said Father Brewer. The tribunal needed “to see if there was a correla- tion between the prayerful petition and the medical cure,” said Callahan. The Schachles were certain their prayers to Father McGivney resulted in God curing their son of the condi- tion that almost certainly would have killed him before he was born or shortly after. They told the interview- ers how they specifically prayed for the intercession of Father McGivney and asked so many others to do the same. Knights of Columbus around the world had simulta- neously been offering up prayers for Father McGivney’s canonization. Beyond witnessing the faith of the Schachle family, one of the most rewarding experiences of serving on the committee, Callahan said, was seeing how the medi- cal team members who cared for Michelle and Michael Schachle, who is now five years old, “had been trans- formed by the outcome” of the case. Multiple physicians recommended that Michelle Schachle terminate her pregnancy because the diagno- sis was so bleak. “Our society has a lot of judgments about the value of life, and the disposable nature of life,” Callahan said. Maybe after their experience with the Schachles, some of those physicians won’t be so quick to make that judgment, Callahan said. After talking with the doctors, Callahan said, he could tell that this case “appropriately tickled their in- tellect, but even bigger, it changed their hearts.” After the Nashville tribunal compiled its findings -- sealed and tied in red ribbon -- and sent them off to Rome, it was up to the Congregation for Saints’ Causes to review the information and make a recommendation to Pope Francis whether the case was indeed a miracle. The tribunal’s findings first went to the postulator of Father McGivney’s sainthood cause, Andrea Ambrosi, a civil and canon lawyer in Rome, Caulfield said. He had the findings translated into Italian and then present- ed them to the congregation. The postulator, who must be certified to present cas- es before the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, “puts to- gether the strongest possible case, as any lawyer would, taking the facts and presenting them in the most con- vincing way,” Caulfield said. After assuring the record is in the proper canonical form, it is reviewed by a panel of medical experts, prac- ticing physicians and medical professors in Rome, who aren’t necessarily religious, Caulfield said. With their review complete, “one day in Rome, they get together and cast their votes. Is this a miracle or not, can we ex- plain this or not,” Caulfield said. “It went through the medical commission pretty eas- ily,” Caulfield said of the Schachle case. “That’s the huge hurdle.” Next the case is re- viewed by a theologi- cal commission that ex- amines the question of whether the cure can be attributed to Father Mc- Givney’s intercession, Caulfield said. “They came down yes, there was more than ample evidence that Father McGivney was invoked exclusively,” Caulfield said. On May 27, the Vati- can announced Pope Francis had signed the decree recognizing the miracle through the in- tercession of Father Mc- Givney. Once he is beati- fied, he will be given the title “Blessed.” The beatification ceremony will be scheduled in the fall in the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut, where his sainthood cause was formally opened in 1997, and he was given the title “Servant of God.” In March 2008, the Catholic Church recognized the priest heroically lived the Christian virtues, giving him the title “Venerable.” Generally, two miracles attributed to the candidate’s intercession are required for sainthood -- one for be- atification and the second for canonization. Laurence is a staff writer at the Tennessee Register, newspaper of the Diocese of Nashville. Andy Telli, managing editor, con- tributed to this story. Mikey Dickinson Miracle McGivney From page 3 Graduates of 2020 St. John the Evangelist Parish Gulfport Daniel Calles ~ Harrison Central High School, Lauren Dossett ~ St. Patrick Catholic High School, Quinn Frommeyer ~ University of Mississippi, Nancy Ha ~ Xavier University, Jessi Hebert ~ University of Southern Mississippi, Dawson Malley ~ Gulfport High School, Caleb McGuire ~ Gulfport High School, and Trey Symmes ~ Symmes Academy. CORRECTION In the June 12 edition of the Gulf Pine Catholic , Jeremiah Reynoso of St. Rose de Lima Parish, Bay St. Louis, was incorrectly listed as a graduate of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Perkinston Campus. Reynoso actually graduated from Pearl River Community College and plans to continue his studies at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. WANTED: Accompanist to Play Christ the King Mission, Latimer Anyone who plays piano and is interested in playing for 9 a.m. Mass on Sunday morning and/or 4 p.m. on Saturday at Christ the King Mission, Latimer, please contact Father Peter Kmiecik at (228) 233-0947.