Miracle in Los Angeles: Priest recounts Frassati’s intercession in healing
“Prayer works … and God is always listening to our prayers,” said a Los Angeles priest, who as a seminarian experienced a miraculous healing that led to the upcoming canonization of a much beloved Italian youth.
Father Juan Manuel Gutierrez, associate pastor at St. John the Baptist Church in Baldwin Park, California, spoke at a Dec. 16 press conference at his parish to share his experiences of being healed from a serious sports injury after seeking the intercession of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati.
The inexplicable recovery was judged by the Vatican to satisfy the final requirement in Frassati’s canonization cause. On Nov. 25, Pope Francis formally recognized the miraculous healing of then-seminarian Gutierrez — whose name was kept confidential during the canonization process. He had previously announced that Frassati, along with Italian teen Blessed Carlo Acutis, would be canonized in 2025.