You may have heard of Deacon Jack Sullivan, the Boston man whose recovery from a spinal injury was declared miraculous by the Vatican and attributed to Newman's intercession, clearing the way for Sunday's beatification.  But you may not have heard a full account of the story about this miracle. We were impressed by the fair and balanced reporting in this AP article on the subject.  As expected, the piece includes criticism of the healing by sceptics, yet rounds out the story with the testimony from Sullivan's own doctor who attests to the very unusual nature of the case.

...[T]he church says skeptics are ignoring evidence, including testimony from Sullivan's own surgeon, Dr. Robert Banco, who said Sullivan's instant, pain-free recovery was inexplicable and incomparable to any among his hundreds of patients in 15 years of practice.No waters parted or poured from a rock, but church officials say what happened was undoubtedly a miracle.

Next Monday our Official U.S. Pilgrimage to England for Newman's Beatification will be present at the first Mass ever celebrated in the Newman Shrine at the Birmingham Oratory.  We'll meet up with Deacon Sullivan and talk more about this inspiring figure then.

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