Following a Baldwin Park priest’s alleged miraculous recovery from a damaged Achilles tendon in 2017, the Catholic Church is about to canonize a new saint.
Juan Manuel Gutierreaz, 38, injured his ankle while playing basketball at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo. According to Angelus News, a magazine issued by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, he went to a doctor after the injury seemed to get worse over the course of the following several days and was told that he had a ruptured Achilles.
Given the lengthy healing process that lay ahead, Gutierrez made the decision to perform a “novena,” which consists of nine prayers performed for nine days in a row, in honor of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, an Italian journalist who passed away from polio in 1925 at the age of 24. Because of his generosity, love for the Catholic church, and desire to support social reform in Italy, Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1987.
When Gutierrez started praying every day, he reported feeling “a warmth around the area of my injury,” according to the Angelus News.
“It was gentle,” the magazine reported. However, it would gradually rise, and eventually I believed that one of the electrical outlets was catching fire. Furthermore, there was no fire. So I just recall thinking, ‘That’s so bizarre,’ as I felt the warmth on my ankle.”
Gutierrez decided to quit wearing the brace that was keeping his right foot immobile as a result, and he was shocked to see that the MRI gap where the tendon had ripped had magically disappeared during a follow-up appointment with an orthopedic surgeon.
According to Gutierrez, the surgeon stated, “You must have somebody up there looking after you,” when he was unable to sense the separation.
Gutierrez made the decision to just tell a select group of individuals because he didn’t want to attract too much attention to himself. After spotting a kiosk with a picture of Frassati and cards urging people to share stories of favors they obtained thanks to his intervention, he finally made the decision to write an email, according to the magazine.
He claimed that he never heard back from anyone regarding the email.
According to the Angelus News article, he was studying the diocesan phase of canonization causes at St. John the Baptist in Baldwin Park in 2020 under the instruction of Monsignor Robert Sarno, an American priest who had recently retired from the Vatican’s Dicastery of the Cause of the Saints after forty years of service.
“It was the last thing that I expected, that in this course that I was teaching in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, there could be a potential miracle for canonization of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati,” Sarno told the publication.
when hearing the story, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles reportedly authorized Sarno’s probe when the Vatican showed interest. In 2023, Sarno collected evidence and spoke with witnesses at St. John’s, the seminary where Gutierrez was hurt, and two local priests were chosen to assist with the legal proceedings. He also collected the MRI scan that revealed the tendon tear and the doctor’s notes.
On August 3, at the Jubilee Year celebration for youth in 2025, the Vatican declared that Frassati would be canonized. Five days after Gutierrez’s testimony was officially validated by Pope Francis, Frassati’s prayer brought about the second miracle.
Pier Giorgio, in my opinion, was a fantastic example of what it means to be a young Catholic in the world. Someone who takes ownership of our Catholic identity, someone who is involved in the lived experience of the faith, not only in the walls of your church, but even beyond that,” Gutierrez told the Angelus News. “He was known to have a heart for the needy and the poor. Maybe it wasn’t a big deal at the moment, but in my time of need, he drew near to me and he helped me. And there are a lot of people who have received graces from him, I’m not the only one.”
During a press conference on Monday, Gutierrez was joined by Archbishop Gomez and Msgr. Sarno.
“Today we gather to share news that reminds us that prayer works, the saints can help us to pray for our needs and that there is somebody listening to our prayers. God is always listening to our prayers,” Gutierrez said.
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