I've been told by people who know a lot more about Lourdes than I do, who – lived there – worked there – studied there – that there are many more healings than are ultimately affirmed as miracles. The reason – people don't want the onerous process they need to go through for the Church to say there's no explanation; than it was a miraculous healing. I've heard the former President of Gonzaga University, a Jesuit, Fr. Robert Spitzer, say many people feel "I've had my miracle, I just want to go home."
But 101 years before approving the healing as miraculous?
The BBC, a few days ago.
Newly-found church documents have convinced the Archdiocese of Liverpool and a Lourdes medical panel that he had experienced an irreversible cure which could not be explained medically.
Lourdes authorities adhere to strict Vatican criteria dating back nearly 300 years, which stipulate a serious untreatable medical condition must have an instant medically "inexplicable" lasting cure to be classed as a miracle and also be ratified by the recipient's local bishop.
Mr Traynor, who had epilepsy, had originally been deemed too sick to travel to the shrine, where Catholics have prayed for miracle cures since 1858 following reported visions of the mother of Jesus Christ.
He was badly injured while serving with the Royal Naval Reserve forces in the 1915 Gallipoli landings, when a bullet tore through his right armpit severing the nerves to his right arm and causing paralysis.
He returned to Liverpool walking again after bathing in the baths at Lourdes, which are believed by some Christians to be a source of healing, and was greeted by huge crowds – but the church never ratified the apparently inexplicable cure at the time.
Mr Traynor recovered his strength to the extent where he was able to run a coal haulage business, often lifting heavy sacks with ease for the rest of his life.
His epilepsy also apparently vanished.
… Dr Kieran Moriarty, an English member of the International Medical Committee of Lourdes for the last 20 years, who was asked last year to review the case.
He unearthed new evidence from Lourdes archives which showed a panel of doctors ruled in 1926 that Mr Traynor had experienced a "prodigious healing which was absolutely outside and above the forces of nature" but the documents were never sent to Liverpool.
Dr Moriarty said he was "deeply moved" by the research, adding: "I heard the story of the cure when I was around eight years old and I always thought that it was a recognised miracle until I came to Lourdes as a medical student in 1971."
John Traynor’s journey was marked by suffering, resilience, and unwavering faith. Born in Liverpool to an Irish mother, he enlisted in the Royal Navy at the onset of World War I. The brutal conflict left him severely wounded on multiple occasions. First injured near Antwerp in 1914, he later sustained devastating injuries during the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign in 1915. By 1923, Traynor was paralyzed, epileptic, and partially blind, with a body ravaged by numerous failed surgeries. Despite his deteriorating health and the skepticism of both doctors and clergy, Traynor joined a pilgrimage to Lourdes, accompanying the inaugural delegation from Liverpool’s archdiocese. His determination defied medical prognosis and the counsel of those around him, as he firmly believed that if he were to die, Lourdes was the best place to do so. On July 25, 1923, Traynor experienced what would later be deemed miraculous. After being immersed in the sacred baths and participating in the Eucharistic procession, he found himself completely healed. The transformation was immediate and undeniable. Medical professionals present on the pilgrimage confirmed his recovery on the spot.
Miracle at Lourdes: Church gives official recognition to miracle number 71 in the history of the sanctuary | ZENIT – English
By 1923, Traynor was paralyzed, epileptic, and partially blind, with a body ravaged by numerous failed surgeries. Despite his deteriorating health and the skepticism of both doctors and clergy, Traynor joined a pilgrimage to Lourdes, accompanying the inaugural delegation from Liverpool’s archdiocese. His determination defied medical prognosis and the counsel of those around him, as he firmly believed that if he were to die, Lourdes was the best place to do so. On July 25, 1923, Traynor experienced what would later be deemed miraculous. After being immersed in the sacred baths and participating in the Eucharistic procession, he found himself completely healed. The transformation was immediate and undeniable. Medical professionals present on the pilgrimage confirmed his recovery on the spot.
Miracle at Lourdes: Church gives official recognition to miracle number 71 in the history of the sanctuary | ZENIT – English
By 1923, Traynor was paralyzed, epileptic, and partially blind, with a body ravaged by numerous failed surgeries. Despite his deteriorating health and the skepticism of both doctors and clergy, Traynor joined a pilgrimage to Lourdes, accompanying the inaugural delegation from Liverpool’s archdiocese. His determination defied medical prognosis and the counsel of those around him, as he firmly believed that if he were to die, Lourdes was the best place to do so. On July 25, 1923, Traynor experienced what would later be deemed miraculous. After being immersed in the sacred baths and participating in the Eucharistic procession, he found himself completely healed. The transformation was immediate and undeniable. Medical professionals present on the pilgrimage confirmed his recovery on the spot.
Miracle at Lourdes: Church gives official recognition to miracle number 71 in the history of the sanctuary | ZENIT – English
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