….On Sept. 10, Father Juan Manuel Gutierrez found himself standing in the pouring rain in St. Peter’s Square after the Pontiff’s Wednesday General Audience, in line for a brief, personal audience with Leo himself….
At the canonization Mass [for Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frasatti] in St. Peter’s Square that Sunday, Gutierrez concelebrated a few yards away from Leo, along with hundreds of other priests from around the world. He may have had special seating (behind the bishops’ section), but he was only one among the hundreds of dignitaries and guests associated with Frassati and the other Italian youth being canonized at the Mass, St. Carlo Acutis.
The next day, at the beginning of a Mass of Thanksgiving for Frassati’s canonization at Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, Gutierrez was recognized by celebrant Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old Dean of the College of Cardinals, as the recipient of the miracle that had allowed for Frassati’s canonization, drawing applause and curious glances from attendees.
But there was another reason for Gutierrez to be excited that day: Gutierrez had just been given a last-minute appointment with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, who as Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints had overseen the final phase of Frassati’s sainthood process.
The appointment was made with the help of Msgr. Robert Sarno, the Brooklyn priest who’d investigated the story of the 2017 healing of Gutierrez’s ankle….
Inside Semeraro’s office, the Italian cardinal was astounded to learn that Gutierrez had had such a low-key role at the canonization. When asked if there might be a chance that the LA priest could meet Pope Leo at his weekly General Audience the next day, Semeraro threw his hands up.
“It’s too late,” said Semeraro. “But let me see what I can do.”
An hour later, Gutierrez got a phone call at lunch. It was the cardinal, with a message: Meet me tomorrow morning before the audience inside the Palazzo del Sant’Uffizio, the imposing, dark yellow building next to St. Peter’s that serves as the offices of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith — and the place where Pope Leo has lived in an apartment as both a cardinal and now (at least temporarily) as pope…
For Gutierrez, who wasn’t even a practicing Catholic when he immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico nearly 20 years ago, the impending one-on-one meeting with the Successor of Peter gave him plenty to think about: his mother’s death from cancer, his return to the Church, his call to be a priest, his ankle injury. So many strange, often difficult events had brought him to this point.
When it was Gutierrez’s turn to greet the pope, he knew what he wanted to say — but had only a few seconds to say them.
“Holy Father, my name is Father Juan Gutierrez, and I’m a priest for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles,” he began in Spanish. “I’m the one who received the healing miracle recognized for the canonization of Pier Giorgio Frasatti.”
Leo’s eyes opened wider….
After a few more words about the immigration situation in LA, Gutierrez finished the conversation by pulling out from his jacket five limited edition baseball cards with Leo’s image — one for him, the others for some friends. He had planned to ask Leo to sign them, but then thought better of it.
“At least could you touch them?” asked Gutierrez.
The pope chuckled and extended his hand. Mission accomplished….
For now, Gutierrez will spend some time in Europe visiting places like Turin, where Frassati lived and is now buried, and Poland, where he’s been invited to share his testimony at a parish named after Frassati….
From Angelus News
Father Juan Gutierrez is truly a blessed Priest to receive a miracle from Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati. Pope John Paul II bestowed the title to Frassati known as the, “Man of the 8 Beatitudes’ because his life embodied the virtues outlined in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount through his deep faith, active social justice and joyful service to the poor. I hope Father Juan Gutierrez gets to meet Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati’s niece Wanda Gawronska while he is visiting Rome. She traveled the world playing a major role promoting the cause of Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati. Thank you California Catholic Daily News for publishing this special story at a time when America and the world needs hope and the good news.
Very strange. I had thought that recipients of miracles that directly led to a saint’s canonization, would automatically have a direct involvement– with an important public role to play– in the Canonization Mass of a Saint who performed that miracle. This very strange situation makes no sense. Fr. Gutierrez should definitely have been asked to maybe do one of the Scripture readings at the Mass– or another role– and to definitely give a testimony of his miraculous healing by St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, along with the others who received miraculous healings by the two new Saints– at an event prior to the Canonization Mass. Everyone, worldwide, should have heard his — and the other miracle recipients’– testimonies.
You can search for that information and read it yourself. Anyone can do that. No need to be redundant at the ceremony. The miracle is unimportant after it’s been confirmed. What’s important is the saint’s heroic example of holiness. It’s about the saint and his holiness, not about the miracles.
Yes, the great miracles of Saints who are being canonized, should be highlighted at their Canonization Masses. These miracles are very, very important in determining their Sainthood. No miracles– no Sainthood. All of the recipients of miracles that helped to finally determine a candidate’s sainthood– such as Fr. Gutierrez’ miraculous healing– should be a part of the Canonization Mass. And the recipients of miraculous healings all should be involved in a public Church event, in which they relate the account of their miraculous healing, by the intercession of that Saint. This will encourage and inspire faith in God, and public veneration of the Saint– with hopefully, more blessings and possibly, more miracles to come, for those in need. Yes, a saint’s heroic virtue is most important. There are millions of Catholics of heroic virtue. But you fail to understand– no miracles, no Sainthood. Period.
The vast majority of Catholics have superstitious, magical thinking about God, Jesus, Mary, saints, and prayer.
That’s how you view your fellow Catholics in your condescending superiority?
No. Your statement is a bunch of hyperbole and anti-Catholic prejudice.