Por Corey Wronski
(serie 50 por 50) Nací con una rara afección ósea que ha requerido muchas intervenciones quirúrgicas a lo largo de los años y ha limitado mi movilidad física.
I had lived in Maryland for a number of years and visited the Seton Shrine occasionally, but I didn’t know much about Mother Seton until June 2022 when I joined one of the Shrine’s virtual book clubs. That first session, we read Nothing Short of a Miracle: God’s Healing Power in Modern Saints de Patricia Treece, que incluye capítulos sobre la Madre Seton y los milagros atribuidos a su intercesión.
Varios meses después, en otoño de 2022, sufrí una fractura de fémur provocada por mi enfermedad. Una fractura anterior similar en la misma zona no se había curado de forma natural y había requerido una intervención quirúrgica importante, hospitalización y un período de recuperación extremadamente largo. Temía que volviera a ocurrir lo mismo. Como madre soltera de un hijo de cinco años, sin familia cercana ni apoyo del cónyuge, me aterrorizaba cómo iba a afrontar esa situación, sobre todo cuando mi hijo seguía necesitando tantos cuidados diarios y mientras los médicos me proponían una intervención quirúrgica aún más radical para esta vez. Además, hacía poco que había superado un divorcio difícil y acababa de recuperarme. Mi mayor preocupación era la responsabilidad por mi hijo, más que los propios problemas médicos.
I poured out many prayers and tears. I remembered that Mother Seton had, in her widowhood, also been a single mother while facing all kinds of sorrows, and I decided to take a trip to the Shrine and seek Mother Seton’s intercessory help in a special way. At the Altar of Relics, I prayed for her intercession, and in my distress I called out a line I remembered from Nada menos que un milagro: “Hey, You, You’re a mother!” This is the title of one of the chapters, which recounts the story of another mother who had cried out these words to implore Mother Seton’s help.
It is hard to put into words what came next – no dramatic visionary experience, but an unmistakable sense of reassurance came over me, and I was convinced that Mother Seton had heard me. I just knew that she would add to our prayers and intercede to the Lord on my behalf.
On my way out, I walked through the exhibit downstairs (this was prior to the renovation), and as I came under the canonization banner that used to be displayed there, I also came face-to-face with our book club leader, Anita DiGregory, who was at the same time walking in from the opposite direction. She wasn’t supposed to have been at work that day, but a special circumstance had brought her in, and it was a great comfort to be able to share all that was going on. We both marveled at the chances of our meeting at that exact place and moment. It is the type of moment I can see Mother Seton bringing about among her friends.
The fracture did heal – very slowly, but without need for surgical intervention. I cannot prove scientifically that this healing was otherwise inexplicable, and I cannot prove that Mother Seton’s intercession played a role. But I would affirm in the strongest possible terms that I am convinced that it did. It is ultimately God’s will, power, and grace that allows miracles; our saintly friends, though, lovingly help us in the process and pray for us, and I just know that Mother Seton (and likely many other friends too) helped to shepherd me through that difficult time. I am humbled and so very grateful to think of her as a friend.
50 for 50 es una serie de relatos de gente corriente para conmemorar el 50 aniversario de la canonización de Elizabeth Ann Seton como primera santa estadounidense nacida en el país.