Forty-one-year-old Anna Santaniello came to Lourdes on a stretcher in 1952 because of severe rheumatic heart disease. After bathing on August 19, she could walk independently again and regained her capacity for exertion. Physicians examined the change. The Church's recognition came on September 21, 2005, through Archbishop Gerardo Pierro of Salerno.
After severe rheumatic heart disease with shortness of breath and greatly restricted mobility, Santaniello regained her ability to walk independently and her capacity for exertion during the pilgrimage.
Further original photographs from the publisher
Severe Heart Disease
The shrine's account describes Santaniello's illness following rheumatic fever. Shortness of breath and severely restricted mobility shaped her daily life. When she traveled to Lourdes with UNITALSI in August 1952, she was 41 years old and had to be transported on a stretcher.[1][2]
Her persistent shortness of breath was so severe that even speaking was difficult. A bluish discoloration of her face and lips and increasing swelling of both legs accompanied it. On August 16, she began the train journey with the Italian pilgrimage organization. In Lourdes, she was admitted to the Asile Notre-Dame, the predecessor of today's Accueil Notre-Dame. She remained under continued medical care during her stay.[1]
Back on Her Feet after Bathing
On August 19, Santaniello was immersed in the water of the baths. Afterward, she could walk independently again. Her previous severe limitations were followed by a return of mobility and capacity for exertion. Several physicians examined her after the event. The healing remained the reference point of her subsequent story and the ecclesiastical examination.[1][2]
On August 19, she still had to be carried to the baths on a stretcher. After bathing, she left under her own power. That very evening, she took part in the Marian torchlight procession. The contrast between her arrival and that evening was thus visible not only to her personally but also within the shared course of the pilgrimage.[1]
The Medical Commission in Salerno
For the final local stage of examination, the diocesan register names the responsible physicians: Francesco Orio as chairman, along with Giovanni D'Angelo, Michele Tommaso, and Domenico Della Porta. The entry concerning the commission is dated September 14, 2005. The entry concerning the medical declaration on the healing follows on September 21. The references are volume VI, pages 196–197, numbers 128–129.[3]
Recognition on September 21, 2005
Archbishop Gerardo Pierro of Salerno recognized the healing as a miracle. Fifty-three years separated the bath in Lourdes from this judgment. The shrine lists Santaniello as the 67th recognized healing. The date agrees with the final entry in the diocesan register.[1][3]
Remembrance within UNITALSI
In 2016, the diocesan newspaper Agire recalled Santaniello in connection with the UNITALSI group of Salerno. The article describes the volunteers' many years of service accompanying sick people on pilgrimage. The memory of her recovery also remained alive within this community.[4]
Santaniello later explained that at the grotto she had prayed especially for a twenty-year-old man named Nicolino who could no longer use his legs after an accident. After returning to Italy, she devoted herself to disadvantaged children as a pediatric nurse. The shrine's biography thus connects her restored strength with a long service to others; for her, her own healing remained linked with concern for the sick and those in need.[1]
A Visible Change in a Woman's Life
Santaniello's healing meant a return from the stretcher to independent movement. The medical examination and the later decision in Salerno concerned this change following severe heart disease. The Church's recognition honored it as God's help and a reason for gratitude.[1][3]
Witnesses & Investigators
Anna Santaniello
Person healed
The person whose illness and healing are recounted.[1]
Francesco Orio
Chairman of the commission in 2005
Named in the diocesan register as chairman of the medical commission of 2005.[3]
Gerardo Pierro
Archbishop of Salerno
Responsible for the Church's judgment of recognition.[1]
The unfolding story
- Pilgrimage
Journey with UNITALSI.[1]
- Healing
Return of independent mobility in Lourdes.[1]
- Local Commission
Appointment according to the Salerno register.[3]
- Recognition
Date in the official list of miracles and the register entry.[1][3]
- Living Remembrance
The diocesan newspaper mentions Santaniello in its report on UNITALSI.[4]
Ecclesiastical assessment
The official list names Archbishop Gerardo Pierro of Salerno and September 21, 2005, as the date of recognition.
Objections & Answers
Does restored walking alone demonstrate a healed heart condition?
Medical findings are also needed. The public sources report examinations and document the later commission with names and archival references. They do not, however, publish a complete cardiological file. Specific heart-valve measurements or image series demonstrating anatomical restoration cannot be derived from them.[2][3]
What significance do the 53 years before recognition have?
The long period allows a view of durability. The records from the time remain decisive for the quality of the original diagnosis. The register precisely documents the final stage of examination; it does not contain the entire sequence of all intervening examinations. Recognition is therefore presented with its actual date and documented foundations.[1][3]
Meaning for faith
Santaniello came to Lourdes as a woman with severe heart disease and regained her independent mobility. The Church of Salerno recognized the healing as a miracle in 2005; the names and archival references of the final local examination are publicly documented.[1][3]
Examining Healings: From Findings to the Church's Judgment
Diagnosis, treatment, the course of healing, and ecclesiastical recognition are examined separately.
Methods of examination and ecclesiastical procedure →Sources & Evidence
Information on accessibility and scope helps you assess the evidence for yourself.
- [1] Guarigioni miracolose – Anna SantanielloOpen source · lourdes-france.com ↗
- [2] Anna Santaniello – Miracles
Brief biographical entry; the simplifying page heading about the recognizing authority is not adopted.
Open source · bernadette-usa.lourdes-france.com ↗ - [3] Nomine dal 1970 al 2010
Register entries, not the full text of the medical expert reports.
Open source · diocesisalerno.it ↗ - [4] La grande missione dell’UnitalsiOpen source · diocesisalerno.it ↗
