Jack Sullivan's severe spinal condition threatened his training for the diaconate. After a temporary improvement in 2000, his symptoms returned; he underwent surgery in August 2001. On August 15, he again prayed in the hospital for John Henry Newman's intercession, became free of pain, and walked along the corridor. He was able to continue his training. In 2009, the Church recognized this particular course of recovery for Newman's beatification.
After spinal surgery, during prayer for Newman's intercession, sudden freedom from pain occurred along with regained walking ability. This particular postoperative course was examined and recognized for the beatification.
Initial Relief, Relapse, and Surgery
Sullivan described his medical history at a press conference in 2009. In 2000, severe spinal findings led him to learn that he needed surgery. After a television program about Newman, he asked for his intercession and was initially free of pain. His symptoms later returned. In August 2001, he underwent surgery in the hospital.[1]
According to Sullivan's recollection, the first pain-free period had lasted almost a year. Renewed deterioration brought him to the hospital in August 2001. He was especially concerned about the final year of his training, due to begin on September 6. In his public testimony, he recalled being told to expect a recovery period of eight to twelve months. Such a long interruption seemed to threaten the completion of his already advanced preparation for the diaconate.[1]
Walking along the Hospital Corridor
After the operation, Sullivan continued to suffer severe pain. On August 15, a nurse helped him to the edge of the bed. There, he asked Newman for help so that he could walk again and complete his training. He felt warmth and inner peace; the pain disappeared. He walked out of the room and along the hospital corridor as the nurses accompanied him.[1]
Sullivan received strong painkillers after surgery. On the day of healing, he was supporting himself on his forearms at the edge of the bed as he prayed. After the sudden change, he walked up and down the corridor; the accompanying nurses asked him to slow down. He particularly remembered the view through the windows at the end of the corridor: the freedom to walk again also changed his perception of his surroundings.[1]
Returning to Training
After discharge, Sullivan returned to his diaconal training, to the delight of his wife Carol and his fellow students. His later ordination gave visible continuation to his original request. For him, recovery was help from God that enabled him to serve others.[1]
The Investigation in Boston and Rome
The diocesan investigation in Boston lasted from June 2005 to November 2006. After the medical assessment, the theological consultants met in 2008, followed by the cardinals and bishops in 2009. The decree on the miracle was issued on July 3, 2009. Benedict XVI beatified Newman in Birmingham on September 19, 2010.[2]
The Medical Subject of the Examination
The particular recovery after the operation was examined. Surgery thus formed part of the medical history and of the question of what recovery could be expected from treatment. The speed, completeness, and durability of the improvement had to be assessed in relation to the previous condition.[1][2]
A Published Medical Counterposition
British physician Peter May offered a different assessment through the Christian Medical Fellowship: he attributed the recovery to the surgery and disputed the interpretation as a miracle. This identifies a specific medical point of dispute: whether treatment and ordinary postoperative recovery sufficiently explain the entire observed course.[3]
Witnesses & Investigators
The unfolding story
- Initial Improvement
An initial experience of prayer is later followed by renewed deterioration.[1]
- Surgery and Recovery
The recognized case concerns the period after the operation.[1]
- Diocesan Investigation
Formal proceedings in Boston.[2]
- Decree on the Miracle
Recognition for Newman's beatification.[2]
- Beatification
Benedict XVI celebrates it in Birmingham.[2]
Ecclesiastical assessment
The decree on the miracle is dated July 3, 2009. Newman was beatified on September 19, 2010; recognition concerns Sullivan's specific case.
Objections & Answers
Was the recovery the result of successful surgery?
This is Peter May's central medical objection. The Church's recognition assesses the specific course as insufficiently explained by the known circumstances of treatment; May regards postoperative recovery as sufficient. Sullivan's testimony, the chronology of the proceedings, and the named counterposition are publicly available. An independent resolution of the medical dispute would particularly require the surgical report, neurological findings before and after surgery, medication, nursing observations, and follow-up examinations.[1][2][3]
What does the merely temporary improvement in 2000 mean?
It forms a separate stage in the medical history. It was followed by relapse, surgery, and the recovery of August 2001. The recognized case concerns this later course. The earlier relief is therefore not presented as an already definitive physical healing.[1][2]
Meaning for faith
Sullivan's recovery enabled him to complete his training and become a deacon. The Church recognized the postoperative course as a miracle through Newman's intercession; the published medical counterposition remains part of the substantive discussion.[1][2][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] Deacon Sullivan’s Account of the Miracle
The person's own statement at a press conference; not a published complete medical record.
Open source · catholic.org ↗ - [2] John Henry Newman – Iter della causaOpen source · causesanti.va ↗
- [3] Cardinal Newman’s Miracle
Retrieval through the search index confirms the central criticism of the postoperative course of healing; full access to the archive page was temporarily blocked. No unseen clinical details were adopted.
Open source · archive.cmf.org.uk ↗
