Our Christmas Miracle – This is our family’s true story of faith, love and the Communion of Saints.

Have you ever experienced the Communion of Saints?

This miracle Christmas Story, was submitted by a reader. This is my wife’s friend Patty, who sent this story in their Christmas card this year. Shortly after I read the story, my wife shared with me that her friend was interested in allowing me to post her story on Give Your Story. I was indeed interested and here is Why It Matters:

It’s been a minute since I felt the hand of God touch me in the way this story moved me. I call it the chill of God. When I read this story, I felt Him move within me. I have experienced the Communion of Saints, and I am so honored to be able to share this story with you on this Christmas eve 2025, in hopes that you too, may feel His presence as we anticipate His birth.

Here is Patty:

Story

SAINT ANDRE BESSETTE

Have you ever heard of a 5-foot, 100 pound incredibly kind French Canadien door man named Brother André Bessette? (born Alfred; August 9,1845 – January 6, 1937) The largest shrine in Canada, St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal was primarily built because of this sweet, frail, gentle and humorous lay brother who joined the Congregation of the Holy Cross in 1870 and was assigned the job of doorkeeper at NotreDame College for 40 years. Brother André had a profound devotion to Saint Joseph, a descendant of King David, the foster Father and guardian of Jesus, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the head of the Holy Family

FLASHBACK TO LATE 1999
Rewind to late 1999 after I graduated college from the University of Rhode Island, my roommate at the time and I visited my old college roommate in Montreal Canada to watch her compete in the women’s hammer throw at a Canadian Championship Track & Field competition. She ended up qualifying for the Olympics and then placing 23rd in the hammer throw at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia (proud friend moment). In Montreal, we visited St. Joseph’s Oratory renowned for its 99 steps that lead to the basilica, where over a thousand crutches were at the top of the stairs from patrons who prayed on each of the steps and who were miraculously healed via the Saints intercession. This fascinated me as I had not been introduced to miracles or Saints for that matter besides Saint Anthony to find my lost things. On that day, I remember looking up at the oratory steps and having an overwhelming undeniable feeling that I would need to come here one day later in life for a family member. At the time, I naturally thought my father, but I had no idea it would have been for my son

20 PLUS YEARS LATER
Fast forward to 2022. Our son Jayden (10 years old at the time) dislocated his left hip playing miniature golf on a beautiful, sunny 75-degree New Years Day at Ocean Isle Beach, NC. He was running and tripped over the miniature golf hole demarcation wall and landed at the right angle, with the perfect force on the paved walkway to pop the head of his femur out of the pelvis bone (acetabulum) socket. After a painful, two shot morphine ambulance trip to a Covid infested emergency room in Myrtle Beach, SC, six hours later his hip was back in the socket via a hip reduction. Jayden was in wheelchair and crutches for 6+ weeks under the supervision of UNC Orthopedics. After a couple months of physical therapy, Jayden was having excruciating pain in his left hip that would only subside after a few hours. Although the UNC doctor and nurse informed us that our son was faking it, they reviewed Jayden’s x-rays again and found that the radiologist missed an acetabular fracture in the x-ray. Jayden’s hip was literally broken and coming out of his socket! Needless to say, we fired UNC and received second, third and fourth opinions from Duke, Wake & Boston’s Children’s Hospital. Since this was a rare occurrence, I mean what 10-year old breaks his hip…that’s for those in their 70s, I asked all the doctors from each hospital to coordinate what the best option was for his fractured hip and on July 11, 2022 they cut his femur completely in half, maneuvered the leg back into the hip socket and screwed everything back together.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 EMERGENCY SURGERY
In early September, we went in for a wellness check anticipating good news and his release for full weight-bearing and physical therapy only to find that the surgery failed, the acetabular was still broken, the hip was not stable, and the metal hardware caused severe damage to the top of his femur. Emergency surgery took place on September 12, 2022; to remove hardware. His ligaments were used to wrap his hip tightly in place and he was placed in a Petrie cast for six weeks. After lots of healing and x-rays on November 14th the doctors were very concerned about the stability of Jayden’s hip and the subluxation (hip coming out of the socket) and that he would likely need a risky, complicated surgery called a triple osteotomy that at the time none of the doctors caring for Jayden felt comfortable performing. They recommended an MRI with contrast on November 22, 2022, to confirm blood flow and required surgery.

NOVEMBER 18, 2022 WE TRAVELED TO SAINT JOSEPH’S ORATORY
On Monday, November 14, 2022, I texted my old college roommate in Canada and randomly asked her in a text “Will you be home this weekend and do you have an extra bedroom we could stay in! Lmk. Her response “Yes yes & YESSSSSS”. I told Pat we are driving to Canada to St. Joseph’s Oratory. Surprisingly, no questions were asked about the trip, no hesitation…just 100 percent support and belief in my faith. From November 18th (Jayden’s brother PJs 15th birthday) to November 21st, 2022, we traveled to and from Canada as I needed God’s miracle to start before our November 22nd MRI. We did all the things at the oratory accept the 99 steps. We arrived at the oratory to find out the steps were under reconstruction! I may have panicked for a second, but it did not matter. All that mattered was our faith. From my previous visit 20 plus years ago, I must have forgotten or missed that Brother André began the tradition of Saint Joseph’s Oil(vegetable oil that burns perpetually before Saint
Joseph’s statue at the oratory), collected and made available to the faithful encouraging the sick to anoint themselves while praying for his intercession. So, we prayed, we lit candles, we venerated, we rubbed that Saint Joseph’s oil on his hip, we prayed for guidance for us and the doctors on what to do regarding Jayden’s treatment and upcoming anticipated surgery.

NOVEMBER 22, 2022 MRI & TRIPLE OSTEOTOMY RECOMMENDED
On November 22, 2022, Jayden had his MRI. His doctor at the time mentioned that we may want to talk to a specialist doctor from Sanai Hospital he saw recently at a conference, named Dr. Shawn Standard. After a Zoom meeting in early December, we officially transferred Jayden’s care to Dr. Standard and scheduled a pre-surgery arthrogram analysis on January 6, 2023, and a triple osteotomy surgery for February 22, 2023, at Sanai Hospital

NOVEMBER 23, 2022 VISIT TO SANDHILLS VETERANS’ CEMETERY
Meanwhile, I researched all the miracles that occurred from Brother André & Saint Joseph’s intercession and many accounts mentioned that the miracles occurred a week or two after their visit. I just kept believing. I prayed a nine-day Novena to both Brother André and Saint Joseph that ended on Wednesday, November 23rd, 2022, and that is when I believe our physical healing miracle occurred. I am still in disbelief about the event, but I swear on my life this is true. Jayden and I left early to go to the beach for Thanksgiving since he only went to school for half days during this time. Sometimes my GPS mysteriously directs me down 95S in lieu of 40E which sends me right by my Dad at the Sandhills Veterans Cemetery across from Fort Bragg, NC. Jayden and I stopped to say “hi” as Thanksgiving was my Dad’s favorite holiday. As we got out of the car, which was a little treacherous traversing under the pine trees to his grave in Jayden’s walker, I realized it might be neat to finish the novenas with Jayden and my Dad. Jayden prayed the final day of the novenas with me at my Dad’s tombstone. It was sweet. We said goodbye and started walking to the car, but then Jayden randomly fell to the ground and threw up. Fortunately, I was right behind him and caught him. As I picked him up again, he went limp, fell to the ground again and continued to vomit. As I picked him up again, I said baby, “I think you were just healed.” I won’t deny I was a bit freaked out, shaking, but I knew. As we got back in the car and drove away, Jayden was fine. No vomiting and no falling. And we continued life like nothing happened.

JANUARY 6, 2023 OUR MIRACLE CONFIRMED
On January 6, 2023 (ironically Brother André’s feast day), we had an arthrogram appointment in Baltimore, MD with Dr. Standard to prepare for Jayden’s triple osteotomy surgery scheduled for February 22nd. After conducting the stability tests Dr. Standard literally ran into the waiting room which he told us he had never entered in the decades he had been a surgeon at the hospital as he could not wait to tell us that he did not believe Jayden needed surgery, that his femur somehow grew so big that it fit tightly into his acetabular over the last month since his MRI and his hip was stable. Not only were our prayers answered by being led to Dr. Standard who had the experience to care for Jayden, but Jayden was healed and no triple osteotomy surgery was required. We visit Dr. Standard once a year. Jayden’s hip appears to be stable. He has no restrictions and played football this year for his middle school team. Amen.

The Communion of Saints found in the Apostles Creed dates back to the 5th century. It is the idea that all Christians are one body in Christ and that just like the parts of a body they can support one another through prayer and love. Saints in heaven, those who are already in the presence of God can intercede for those of us on earth. We can ask them to pray to God for us just like we ask friends to pray for us. The power always comes from God.
The Barry Family Christmas