Flora Cantábrica

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The testimony of Father Ronald Pytel and the miracle

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On November 16, 1999, the doctors invited by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints approved by majority vote that the immediate cure of my very deteriorated left ventricle was inexplicable to medicine. On December 9, a Vatican commission of theologians confirmed that it was a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Sister Faustina Kowalska. Later a commission of cardinals met and on December 20, in the presence of the Holy Father John Paul II, the decree on the miracle was promulgated.
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My name is Ronald Pytel, I am of Polish origin, my grandparents were born in Poland. I am the pastor of the Church of the Virgin of the Rosary in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Our parish is the Diocesan Shrine of Divine Mercy. I had my first contact with Divine Mercy when I was young, in elementary school where the image of Christ was with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in you. Twenty-six years ago I was ordained a priest and over time I joined the work of the cult of Divine Mercy. Since the beatification of Sister Faustina, every second Sunday of the month in our church solemn services in honor of Divine Mercy are celebrated in English and every third Sunday of the month in Polish. In addition, every Thursday the incessant novena to Divine Mercy is prayed. Our parish propagates the cult of Divine Mercy through spiritual exercises, conferences and pilgrimages. Hence, when I got sick, my prayers and those of the parishioners were addressed to Divine Mercy through the intercession of Blessed Sister Faustina.
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I got sick in 1995. I felt bad during the winter and spring. The symptoms of the disease were similar to those of a cold and allergy and later, of bronchitis. Going up to the first floor, he couldn’t catch his breath and coughed continuously. I went to the doctor who confirmed the diagnosis: allergic bronchitis. During the same visit, the doctor noted that the heart murmurs that I had since I was little had become stronger and sent me for a Doppler test, an echocardiogram that showed a narrowing of the aortic valve caused by calcium deposits and only 20% of blood could flow through it. He had heart failure.
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On June 8, 1995, I had an urgent appointment with Dr. Nicholas Fortuin, a well-known cardiologist who worked at the famous Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. By studying my echocardiogram, he confirmed the diagnosis of narrowing of the aortic valve. He prescribed me medication and kept me in bed until the day of the operation at Johns Hopkins Hospital, scheduled for June 14, 1995. On the way home, my best friend, Father Larry Gesy said, Don’t worry Ron, all this has to do with it. some relation to Divine mercy. Although I didn’t like the idea of the upcoming operation, peace reigned in my heart. I read Sister Faustina’s Diary, every day I prayed with the words of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
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After the operation, surgeon Dr. Peter Green told Father Larry Gesy that my heart was damaged because of a narrow valve that did not allow free flow of blood. If I had not had the operation, my life would have been threatened. After the next examination, Dr. N. Fortuin told him that he could not foresee what my life would be like in the future, but he was sure that I would not be able to live normally. He verified with serious concern that no one gave me a guarantee of life, of a long life. His diagnosis was not very optimistic. The left ventricle looked badly damaged. My Friend made it known to me little by little.
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On October 5, 1995, we celebrated the office all day in front of the exposed Blessed Sacrament. We pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the rosary and other prayers. The day ended with Holy Mass. This is how we prepared for the visit of the Holy Father to Baltimore on October 8, 1995. I presided at Holy Mass. During the homily I spoke about trust in God and how God touched me with his mercy.

That afternoon a group of people prayed for my healing. They implored the intercession of Blessed Sister Faustina and I venerated her relics. During prayer I rested in the Holy Spirit. I was lying on the ground for about 15 minutes. I was fully conscious but could not move. I felt like a paralyzed person when my parishioners prayed above and around me.
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Late in the afternoon I realized that I had forgotten to take the medicine. I took it around midnight and was getting ready for bed. At that moment, as I took a deep breath, I felt a pain near my heart. Until that moment I had never had such pain, the only pain was the scar from after the operation. It was something new, something unknown. I thought it was the effect of excessive activity during the day. After some time I noticed that the pain increased after taking the medicine. The next day I did not take the medicine and the pain did not appear.
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I called Dr. Fortuin to tell him about the problem. I felt that the heart medication was causing the pain. Doctor Fortuin said that it was the best medicine for my disease and that my body had tolerated it for two months without side effects. However, given my body’s reaction, he recommended that I take half the dose one day and the full dose the next day, alternately, and call him a week later. When I took half the dose I felt better. The headache was less intense and passed faster. I called Dr. Fortuin to inform him of my observation. He told me to keep taking half the dose of the medicine until my visit 9 days later.
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On November 9 I went to Dr. Fortuin. After the initial exam, I had an echocardiogram. The doctor looked at the test results and invited me to his office. He stared at me in silence for what seemed like an eternity, and finally he said, Ron, someone interceded for you. I asked: What does this mean? He replied: Your heart is healthy. I asked amazed: What? And he repeated: Your heart is healthy. I told him, Dr. Green suggested repeating the echocardiogram to see if the left ventricle has strengthened. And doctor Fortuin replied:

No, no… we are talking about a totally normal heart. I was not very optimistic about your state of health. I don’t know how to explain what happened. And he continued: You don’t have any limitations, you shouldn’t take any medication. We’ll see each other again in a year, during the next control visit. I asked him amazed: Within a year? He replied: Yes, within a year. Your heart is completely healthy. When I left the doctor, I called Father Larry Gesy and told him what I had heard from Dr. Fortuin. He replied: It is the miracle we asked for.
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In November 1996, an official commission was convened in the Archdiocese of Baltimore to examine the sworn opinions of doctors and the statements of witnesses who spoke of the changes in my state of health. Once the diocesan process was finished, Father Serafín Michalenko, vice postulator of the cause of Sister Faustina in the United States, came and from Baltimore the Tribunal collected the sealed documents that we took to Rome in December 1996. The documents included more than 800 pages of medical records and nearly 500 pages of sworn material.
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I know that Blessed Sister Faustina interceded for me before Jesus and that her love touched me and healed me. That easy.
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