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From Xaverian News by Fr. William Camera, s.x.Dec. 15, 2010
Fr. Camera (right) with Thiago (two years old at that time) and his mother during the gathering of information to be sent to the Vatican
The miracle received through the intercession of Blessed Conforti, confirmed by
the Vatican after a demanding scrutiny, happened to Thiago Joćo, a newborn child
from Brazil.
Little Thiago Joćo suffered from a severe lack of oxygen to the brain following
a prolonged cardio-respiratory arrest. He barely weighed two pounds when he was
born in a small hospital in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, August, 2003. He was born
close to four months prematurely due to the illness of his mother. A prolonged
heart attack left no hope of recovery.
The seven specialists who were consulted by the Congregation for the Causes of
Saints reached the following diagnosis after studying the case files: “grave
premature condition with probable infant respiratory distress syndrome, early
stages of sepsis, neonatal jaundice, anemia, hyperglycemia, cardio-respiratory
arrest, late sepsis caused by “staphylococcus epidermidis”, right
periventricular leukomalacia, osteopenia and bilateral retinopathy”.
They concluded that “the child was undoubtedly seriously ill and in danger of
death quoad vitam and quoad valitudinem given the fact that his condition
predisposes him to certain neurological consequences”.
Invocation of Blessed Conforti
There was practically no hope for the child’s survival. The faithful of the
community “Dom Guido” (dedicated to the Blessed Guido Maria Conforti) knew the
Dos Apostolos Souza family well because they were very active in the community.
The entire Christian community therefore joined the parents and relatives of the
child to ask their community’s patron to intercede for him. Their prayers
intensified when it seemed that the child was at death’s door.
The child’s mother said: “The entire community was praying for Thiago”. The
prayers went on for many days. The trauma and illness of the child became a
considerable preoccupation for the entire parish community. They spent long
periods in prayer together for the life of Thiago Joćo. When suddenly the child
recovered all saw this extraordinary miracle as a special sign from heaven. The
whole parish gathered for a special mass of thanksgiving to the Lord, a feast
which is now celebrated yearly in the parish.
On February 18, 2010, the medical council concluded that the healing of Thiago
was scientifically unexplainable. The Congress of Theologians, on April 23,
2010, unanimously identified the miraculous intervention of God through the
intercession of Blessed Conforti. Everything was confirmed in a regular session
of cardinals and bishops on October 5, 2010. The Pope will announce the date of
canonization to sainthood soon and will probably be in the later part of this
year.
A scientifically inexplicable healing
A very prolonged cardio-respiratory arrest with relative brain damage left no
hope of healing or a return to “normality”. Dr. Luciano, who attended to the
child, said: “A premature baby that suffers a prolonged cardiac arrest and has
no cerebral lesions is something that cannot be explained … The pediatricians
also agreed that this child of 26 weeks could not have any chance of a normal
development … I said: "This child will have a dreadful life of suffering. If he
survives he will be just a body with a beating heart, given the number of
complications he has suffered. But none of this happened: this child suffered no
damage whatsoever … I had an explanation for everything, but I cannot explain
this. If there is such a thing as a miracle, this is one of them”.
Prof. M. De Curtis, head physician of neonatology at the University of Rome “La
Sapienza” declares: “a normal neuromotor development after a complete absence of
cardiac activity for at least thirty minutes, despite attempts at resuscitation,
is something we must consider to be beyond explanation”.
Prof. C. Morocutti, a professor in neurology at the same University says: “The
absence of neurological and psychological-intellective consequences are
scientifically inexplicable and unknown in clinical practice”. The seven
specialists consulted by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints agree on this
point: “The exceptional nature of this case resides in the absence of
significant brain damage, which is easily foreseen as the result of premature
birth and prolonged cardiac arrest”.
Every year, on the child’s birthday, the Christian community “Dom Guido”
solemnly commemorates “the miracle” with a Mass of Thanksgiving.
