To Our Dear Friends: We hope that you will take time to read this beautiful and true story filled with Faith, Hope, Love and TRUST and PRAYER. While it is lengthy, this story has spanned over almost 10 years. Many of you know or will know "Karina" and if you do, please do not be afraid to approach her and tell her how proud you are of her and let her know that you will be Praying for her and for her wonderful Mom (she likes her Mom included in everything). We hope that you enjoy. And, we hope that you will add Karina to your Daily Prayer List. Thank you and God Bless. THE STORY OF A WONDERFUL “MIRACLE” FOR “KARINA” (Written by Tom Melillo – June 12, 2013) KARINA - 2009 AND KARINA - 2013 This Is A Story Of Faith, Hope, Love & The Power Of Prayer About 8 to 9 years ago, while ushering at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola (Diocese of Palm Beach), I began to notice a mother & daughter at Sunday Mass. I could see that this young “Little Angel” was much challenged. She was extremely timid and afraid to be out in the world at large … but I could tell that she felt very safe and that she found great love in the comfort of her Mother’s arms as she clung to her. After seeing them in the Cathedral a few times, I finally began to greet and talk to them as they arrived. I tried very hard to communicate with this young child, but she wasn't having anything to do with me. She would just hold on to her Mother tighter and try to “hide herself” in the folds of her Mom’s arms. After many months of this, I was telling Susan about this wonderful Mother & her Daughter. One Sunday as they entered the Cathedral, I took Susan with me to go over and greet them. I introduced Susan as “my wife”. This was the very first time that the young girl lifted her head up, if only for a brief second, and looked at both of us. I think she wanted to check us out. Her Mom told us that her daughter did understand many of the things we would both say to her and that she would communicate to her through the sign language used by them … it appeared to be their very own form of sign language. Many times, we would hear the young girl utter a grunt or sounds of frustration or excitement, but she did not speak a word. We learned that her name was Karina and her Mom’s name was Bibiana. At that time, I would venture to say that Karina was now approximately 10-11 years old. Susan and I both fell in love with this young lady … why we cannot explain. It certainly was not out of pity. We both felt and saw something very special in her and the love we could see between Karina and her Mom.
As the years moved on, there was never an occasion that we were at the Cathedral and Karina and Bibiana would arrive that we did not go over to greet each of them … either while Susan and I were together … or we greeted them separately. As I recall, one Sunday they were at Mass and we were very busy with our duties and did not see them arrive. When I came out of the Sacristy after cleaning up and preparing for the next Mass, they were waiting for me outside of the Sacristy. Bibiana told me that Karina wanted to see us and that she would not leave the Cathedral until she did. Then Karina poked her Mom and spoke to her through their own “sign language” … asking where Susan was. Susan finally came out of the Sacristy to greet them. I think that was the first time I stroked the hair on the young girl’s head. At that exact time, she parted from her Mom ever so slightly and gave each of us a very small and shy hug … looking up and into our eyes for only a brief second. I believe it was the very first time that our eyes met with hers. Susan and I were extremely touched by this wonderful, loving & pure form of her actions towards each of us, to the point that it brought tears to our eyes. Waiting patiently for us outside of the Sacristy if we had been unable to greet her has continued over the years. As time went on and “Karina” would enter the Cathedral, she would drag her Mom over to us … no matter what we were doing. She would search for each of us and, over time, she began to give a very small and shy wave of her hand while still clinging on to her Mom. Over time, the hugs from Karina to each of us got bigger, tighter and a little longer. Then the stories began as Karina would have her Mom tell us about her adventures, whether it was the zoo, birthday parties, a trip to Disney World and other “highlights” of her week. She would sign to her Mom in a very excited manner and I still believe it was a “special sign language” the two of them have developed over the years. As her Mom would translate, we would ask Karina questions or make comments about her adventures. By this time, we would even get a little smile now and then and it seemed that our relationship with Karina was getting stronger and closer. Karina invited us to everything she was planning to do to but it always was on days we couldn't make it. In 2009, on Holy Thursday, Karina and her Mom were waiting for us in the Cathedral Foyer after the Liturgy. Unfortunately, Susan and I were both very busy directing the Holy Procession of the Eucharist to the Chapel and we were unable to stop and talk to Karina and her Mom. Susan told me after that Karina stood in the corner of the foyer and began crying very hard as she was pointing towards us. It broke Susan’s heart to see Karina this way and I knew then that this wonderful creation of God loved us so much. We have never disappointed Karina again, even if we only have a few seconds to stop and give her a quick hug, explaining that we have to “work” during the Masses. Our “Personal Pilgrimage” in 2009 was the first time that Susan and I carried the Special Intentions of family and friends with us to deliver to various Sacred Shrines. Susan would write the Intentions into the Prayer Request Books in the Shrines we visited that provided them. We would then Pray for those Intentions and light candles after making our offerings. For some reason, on that particular trip, and just after Pope Benedict XVI told Pilgrims gathered in Rome "With you, I pray for the gift of beatification" for Pope John Paul II, a strong feeling came over me that I should Pray for the intercession of Pope John Paul II for a Miracle for his Canonization … maybe for a Miracle “For Karina To Speak”. It was in the Parish Church of Saint Gilles (Our Lady of Prayer) inL'Ile Bouchard (Bouchard Island) in north-western France http://www.theotokos.org.uk/pages/approved/appariti/lilebouc.html where our Blessed Mother appeared with St. Gabriel to four children in 1947, that I decided to Pray for Pope John PauI’s Intercession … specifically for Karina. In the Special Intention Book at the Shrine in I’lle’ Bouchard, I wrote both Pope John Paul II’s name and Karina’s name along with a very specific intention for Karina to Pope John Paul II. As Susan and I Prayed our Rosary, Karina was foremost on my mind. Every time I wrote in an Intention Book during this journey, I would include my “Special Intention to Pope John Paul II for his intercession for Karina to speak and, if not for a “total cure”, that she be gifted with a “small miracle” that would allow her to live somewhat of a “normal life”. Our 2010 “Personal Pilgrimage” was no different. Karina was on our Special Intention List as in the past, only this time the Prayers were much more intense since we had given Karina a video of our 2009 trip and she brought a photo album of her to the Cathedral one day. It contained photos of her with Pope John Paul II during her trip to Rome with her Mom. She was able to personally meet and be greeted by Pope John Paul II during a Special Audience. She was so excited to show us the photos. At this time, Karina did not know that I was Praying for her through the Intercession of Pope John Paul II. On Divine Mercy Sunday, May 1, 2011, Blessed John Paul II was beatified and I continued to Pray and ask for his help and Intercession for Karina although not as fervently as I should have. Prior to our 2012 “Personal Pilgrimage”, Susan told Karina and her Mom, Bibiana, that I had been Praying all of these years for Blessed John Paul’s Intercession for Karina to speak and to live some sort of a “normal life”. Susan bent down to look Karina directly in the eyes and she said … “Karina, Tom has been praying for a miracle for you … especially for Pope John Paul’s intercession. Our hopes are that one day you will speak to us and we will hear your voice … can you please try to do that for us?” And Karina quickly shook her head “yes” and smiled at Susan. Before we left on our 2012 journey, Bibiana told us that all she hoped and prayed for was for her daughter, Karina, “to just speak to me” (Bibiana). I told Karina that on this trip, we were to travel to some very special Sacred Shrines and that we were going to pray very, very hard for her. I leaned down to look Karina in the eyes and said “Karina, I would like you to speak to us as our Christmas present … can you please try to do that for us?” … Susan then reminded her that I had been praying very hard and very long to Blessed John Paul II especially for her. During our 2012 journey, Karina & Bibiana followed us via e-mail and through our Daily Trip Reports (along with the throngs of family & friends). In one of my Trip Reports, I mentioned Karina, specifically, in the Trip Report telling about a very “special” pilgrimage stop we made that day to … “Our Lady of Lapa” … There we Prayed to Our Blessed Mother and Blessed John Paul II specifically for Karina … (below is a portion of the story taken from our Trip Report to Lapa, Spain) … … This place is just incredible. We had traveled here knowing that it was not open … we only wanted to see the place where Our Blessed Mother appeared in 1498 … … and to deliver a very, very important Special Intention directly to Our Mother. This Special Intention is and was for Karina since it is a story of a little girl who could not speak. When the little girl found the Statue of the Blessed Virgin and brought it home, her irritated mother through it on the fire infuriated … at this point, the young girl miraculously spoke for the first time in her life … “Don’t burn it”, she cried, “It is The Lady of Lapa”. Karina … our Prayers are that you will also receive the miracle of speech. We love you.
We then lit a candle to Our Lady of Lapa and left two other Special Intentions with her. It was time to say “See You Later” to “Our Lady of Lapa”. They moved the original Statue of Our Lady of Lapa to another province about 120 miles south of here because of the remoteness of the original site and to be able to protect the statue of “Our Lady of Lapa”. We would go there later that day. After arriving home from our 2012 journey, we did not see Karina for several weeks. One Sunday when Karina & Bibiana did arrive at the Cathedral, we got a very short wave and hug because Katrina was busy and intent on helping her Grandmother into the Cathedral. Bibiana was off parking the car and it was evident that Karina was taking her duties to help her Grandmother very seriously. What a dramatic change we saw in Karina … she was now taking full responsibility for caring for someone else … and she was very intent on doing so. For many years now, each morning before we leave our home, we say our Prayer of Consecration while standing at a small table of relics and religious articles we have purchased and accumulated over the years at Shrines we have visited. We finish by invoking Our Lady of Mount Carmel and, together, we have asked Blessed John Paul II for a “Miracle for Karina” on a daily basis and touch the his relic given to us by Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, his best friend, Private Secretary and Papal Assistance for 40 years. As Christmas approached, Susan and I would tease Karina that we were anxiously awaiting our Christmas Present from her and Susan would ask Karina if she was working hard on our request. Susan told Karina that, maybe, she would want to come up with a special name for each of us so that those would be the first words we would hear from her mouth. Bibiana “suggested” to Karina that I would be “Papa Tom” and that Susan would be “Mama Sue” and Karina smiled and shook her head “yes” in agreement. Each time we saw Karina, we would gently ask if she was working on things and she would look up at us very shyly and shake her head yes … but we did not receive the Christmas gift from Karina that we had requested. So, we told Karina that we were continuing to Pray and we asked her to continue to work on speaking to us (and to her Mom) and that our goal, now, was to prod her to talk to us as our Easter present. We continued to gently tease her while telling her that it would be the best gift she could ever give to us and that we would know then, for sure, that Blessed John Paul II and Our Blessed Mother had answered our Special Petition on her behalf. On Palm Sunday, 2013, and as always on special days, Susan and I were extremely busy assisting at the Masses at the Cathedral. Karina was present at the 12:15 P.M. Mass along with her Mom, her Step-Father and her Grandparents. Susan saw Karina as she broke from her Mom and went to grab Susan’s hand and hold on to her. She was trying to pull Susan over to the pew they would be sitting in and Karina motioned for Susan to sit. She told Karina that she “had to work” during the Mass and that we would see her afterwards. After Mass, I went up to Karina for a hug and I reminded her that she only had one week left before we were hoping to receive our “Easter Present” from her. At that time, Susan was not around us. As Susan later told me after the 12:15 P.M. Palm Sunday Mass, she was watching the Spanish Community at the Cathedral prepare for their Palm Sunday Procession of Palms into the Cathedral. She decided to walk over to watch Father Edgar speak to his Congregation on the lawn. Directly in front of where Susan was standing, there was an SUV parked in the Cathedral Front Circle. The window rolled down and she saw Karina waving at her very excited and motioning for Susan to come over to the car. Susan went over to the driver’s side and Bibiana rolled down her window. Karina popped half way into the front seat from the rear where she always sits. She was hand signaling to her Mom in a very excited way. Susan spoke to Karina and then said … “It’s almost Easter, Karina … are you still working on our very special gift?” Karina shook her head “yes” … then she looked at her Mom who said “are you ready?” and Karina excitedly shook her head “yes”. Bibiana looked at Karina and said “Mama” and the sweetest, most angelic voice … for the first time that we ever experienced, said “Mama” … stunned, Susan stood there with tears coming into her eyes and total “shock” taking over her body. Then Bibiana said softly to Karina “Sue” … and once again, out of the mouth of this beautiful young girl came the word “Sue” … Then Bibiana said “Mama Sue” and Karina repeated “Mama Sue”. Bibiana said “I” … Karina repeated “I”; Bibiana said “Love” … Karina repeated “Love”; Bibiana said “You” … Karina repeated “You”. Speechless, Susan said … oh please don't leave … I have to find Tom right away … she looked toward the Cathedral and I just happened to be standing in front of the center doors speaking with a Parishioner. Susan shouted out … “Tom … come here right now”. I looked at her by the SUV but didn't know they were in the car and she yelled again “Tom … right now … you have to come here right now!” I walked over to the driver’s side of the car where Susan was and I looked in only to see Karina’s beautiful face and eyes looking directly at me near the front seat … Susan said to Karina … did you want Papa Tom to know something? And she shook her head “yes” … looking at me very shyly. Bibiana quietly said to Karina … “Papa Tom” … Karina said “Papa Tom” … Bibiana quietly said “I Love You” … Karina said …“I Love You”. I stood there shocked and frozen in my place. I looked at Karina smiling at me and looking for my approval … I looked at Susan to receive a look of confirmation that what had just taken place did truly happen … and I began to cry and to thank Karina … I couldn't stop thanking her in a very quiet voice because it was difficult for me to speak. As Susan and I stood there full of tears yet smiling and quite in shock, Karina’s grandparents were also in the back seat of the car and they began clapping and crying. Bibiana, with tears coming from her eyes, looked at both of us and said … “It’s a Miracle”. It was an awesome moment for all of us … especially for our “Karina”. To add further excitement to this, Bibiana told us that Karina now has a job as a volunteer at the local library … it amazes us the transition that has taken place in this young girl (she recently celebrated her 16th birthday). We never would have dreamt that Karina would leave the folds of her Mom’s arms and actually “go to work”.
Just before the Holy Thursday Liturgy, Susan was greeting our Bishop (Bishop Gerald Barbarito/Diocese of Palm Beach) and she had to tell the Bishop that “Karina spoke to us”. The Bishop seemed stunned as well but there was no time to go into detail with him. After the Procession of the Eucharist, Karina and her Mom were waiting for us, once again, outside of the Sacristy. We told Karina again how happy she has made us. We asked her once again to speak to us and she softly said … “Papa Tom” and then “Mama Sue” and then “I love you”. We were once again completely overwhelmed but grateful for this “small miracle” for Karina. One of our Parochial Vicars, Father Edgar Mazariegos, came over to greet Karina. Susan slowly bent down and asked Karina if she would like to tell Father Edgar that she loved him … and she shyly shook her head “yes” as she held on to Susan. Susan said “I love you” and Karina looked Father Edgar in the eyes and repeated “I love you”. I cannot speak for Father Edgar, but I could see the shocked, yet happy, look on his face. The Bishop was also speaking with some people in the Cathedral Foyer. As I walked past him, I saw Susan standing with Karina and Bibiana. When the Bishop finished his conversation, I led him over to where they were. The Bishop saw Karina and Bibiana and he enthusiastically greeted them. Susan once again asked Karina if she would like to say something to the Bishop and she shyly shook her head “yes” once again. Susan said “Bishop” … Karina softly said “Bishop”. Susan said “I love you” and Karina repeated “I love you” … we could all tell that our Bishop was deeply moved by this wonderful moment. He quickly imparted a personal Blessing on Karina as he smiled and continued to speak to her and to Bibiana. Karina then, on her own, went to the Bishop to give him a huge hug. It was yet another incredible moment. On Easter Sunday, Karina was at Mass with her Mom and family. She was seated in a pew and when Susan went over to greet her, she literally jumped out of her seat and over her grandmother’s feet to give Susan a hug. I made it a point to go see her immediately after Mass. While talking to Karina and her Mom, Bibiana shared with us that they had attended the Good Friday Stations of the Cross on our Cathedral grounds and that Karina walked all of the Stations while standing directly next to our Bishop. Bibiana also told us that Karina had written a short note that she gave to the Bishop and that the Bishop told Karina that she had made him happier than anyone else ever had. It is now Mother’s Day and we were at the same Mass as Karina and Bibiana and their family. Upon entering the Cathedral, Karina immediately went over to Susan and said “Happy Mother’s Day. I love you”. She then told me what she said. Bibiana told Susan that Karina was speaking all the time now at home and was intent on learning new words each week. Bibiana was beaming with pride and tears. I was an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion today and Karina and Bibiana made a point to receive Jesus from me. Upon receiving Holy Communion, Karina, she then looked up as if to Heaven and smiled like I have never seen her smile before. Susan saw this as well. As Karina returned to her seat, Susan said that Karina was beaming with a huge smile and aura that was indescribable. It seemed as if she was floating back up the aisle. When this occurred, that was it … I was done. I couldn't talk, tears flowed and I had to stop after distributing Holy Communion to Bibiana. So where it goes from here we don't know. We are just very grateful and are enjoying the elation we feel for these events as they continue to occur. This is truly a Miracle for Karina, Bibiana, their family and us. If this would qualify as a miracle for Blessed John Paul II’s Canonization, we do not know. What we do know is that Prayer does work … lots of Prayers … since we do know that Bibiana, her family, friends and others have also been Praying for many years for this “Miracle” for Karina. We continue to Pray daily to Blessed John Paul II for Karina … for her continued gift of speech and for a total cure for her afflictions. In the meantime, we will enjoy this “private miracle” ... this gift from God to Karina. We thank our Blessed Mother and Blessed John Paul II for this young, beautiful and “special” creation of God who has so touched our lives. Prayer to implore favor through the intercession of Blessed John Paul II O Blessed Trinity, we thank you for having graced the Church with Blessed John Paul II and for allowing the tenderness of Your Fatherly care, the glory of the Cross of Christ, and the splendor of the Spirit of love, to shine through him. Trusting fully in Your Infinite Mercy and in the Maternal Intercession of Mary, he has given us a living image of Jesus the Good Shepherd, and has shown us that holiness is the necessary measure of ordinary Christian life and is the way of achieving eternal communion with You. Grant us, by his intercession, and according to Your will, the graces we implore, hoping that he will soon be numbered among Your Saints. Amen. With Ecclesiastical Approval AGOSTINO CARDINAL VALLINI Vicar General of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome Tom & Susan Melillo Home: 561-622-0855 Cellular: 561-818-3422E-Mail: TSMelillo13@aol.comPrayer for Pope Francis O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, look favorably on your servant Francis, whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd; Grant, we pray, that by word and example he may be of service to those over whom he presides so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care, he may come to everlasting life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen
From the testimony: ...Each time we saw Karina, we would gently ask if she was working on things and she would look up at us very shyly and shake her head yes … but we did not receive the Christmas gift from Karina that we had requested. Praise God they persevered in prayer and did not let their hoped-for timetable derail their faith! Thank you Dear Lady and Pope John Paul II! Safe in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
