Are there or have there been Christian healing ministries that have documented healing cases with supporting medical records?
The Catholic Church has a long tradition of accepting medical miracles as miraculous only after a lengthy investigation into the matter. Although the miraculous are now well documented, the files are generally not published for public viewing. There is a distinction to be made between documented and then publishing that information.
The miraculous healing in the Catholic Church need to be spontaneous, instantaneous and complete healing. Medical doctors have to be able say “We don't have any natural explanation of what happened."
I would like to point out that those doing the scientific and/or medical investigations do not necessarily have to be Catholic.
I am going to answer this in a rather unique manner and probably one not intended, yet would qualify as an example, while not being interpreted in the normal thought of what a modern healing ministry seems to mean.
I am talking about The Healing Ministry of Mary.
The healing ability of Mary goes down several centuries and is continuing in our own times.
I am going to make a double biblical metaphor here, if you will allow me to do so.
I am going to use the metaphor of Mary, the Mother of Jesus as the Pool of Bethsaida which goes well with the imagery of the healing apparitions of Mary at Lourdes as a place of healing.
1 After this came a Jewish feast, for which Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 There is a pool in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate, called in Hebrew Bethsaida, with five porches, 3 under which a multitude of diseased folk used to lie, the blind, the lame, the disabled, waiting for a disturbance of the water. 4 From time to time, an angel of the Lord came down upon the pool, and the water was stirred up; and the first man who stepped into the pool after the stirring of the water, recovered from whatever infirmity it was that oppressed him. 5 There was one man there who had been disabled for thirty-eight years. 6 Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had waited a long time; Hast thou a mind, he asked, to recover thy strength? 7 Sir, said the cripple, I have no one to let me down into the pool when the water is stirred; and while I am on my way, somebody else steps down before me. 8 Jesus said to him, Rise up, take up thy bed, and walk. 9 And all at once the man recovered his strength, and took up his bed, and walked. That day it was the sabbath: 10 and the Jews said to the man who had been cured, It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 11 He answered them, The man who gave me back my strength told me himself, Take up thy bed, and walk. 12 So they asked him, Who is this man who told thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13 The cripple who had been healed did not know who it was; Jesus had drawn aside from so crowded a place. 14 But afterwards when Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, Behold, thou hast recovered thy strength; do not sin any more, for fear that worse should befall thee, 15 the man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had restored his strength. - John 5:1-14
Lourdes resembles the Pool of Bethsaida in the sense that those seeking physical healing bath in the waters.
Lourdes water is water which flows from a spring in the Grotto of Massabielle in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, France. The location of the spring was described to Bernadette Soubirous by an apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes on 25 February 1858. Since that time, many thousands of pilgrims to Lourdes have followed the instruction of Our Lady of Lourdes to "drink at the spring and bathe in it". Lourdes water is considered non-liturgical holy water.
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes or the Domain (as it is most commonly known) is an area of ground surrounding the Catholic shrine (Grotto) to Our Lady of Lourdes in the town of Lourdes, France. The Sanctuary is a destination for pilgrimage; sick pilgrims are reputed to be miraculously healed by Lourdes water. This ground is owned and administered by the Roman Catholic Church, and has several functions, including devotional activities, offices, and accommodation for sick pilgrims and their helpers. The Domain includes the Grotto itself, the nearby taps which dispense the Lourdes water, and the offices of the Lourdes Medical Bureau, as well as several churches and basilicas. It comprises an area of 51 hectares, and includes 22 separate places of worship. There are six official languages of the Sanctuary: French, English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and German.
Lourdes water flows from a spring at the same spot where it was discovered by Bernadette. The original spring can be seen within the Grotto, lit from below and protected by a glass screen. Pilgrims drink Lourdes water due to its reputed healing power. The water is accessed from individual taps located between the grotto and the baths, The water from Lourdes was thoroughly analysed by independent chemists in 1858 and 1859, and does not appear to have a latent power to cure and has no special scientific or medicinal properties. Despite this, the water is itself a strong symbol of devotion for Lourdes pilgrims, and many buy statues and rosary beads containing small vials of it, and take home large plastic containers of it.
Baths
Each year about 350,000 pilgrims bathe in the water at the baths (Piscines).5 During the pilgrimage season, the baths are open 8:30 am –12:30 pm / 1:30 – 6:00 pm on weekdays and 10.00 am-12.00 noon / 2.00 pm-4.00 pm Sundays and Holidays. - Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
Mary is still healing people at Lourdes and the latest confirmed miracle on February 12, 2018.
Lourdes, France, Feb 12, 2018 / 02:00 pm MT ().- A miracle was officially recognized at the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, the 70th Lourdes miracle recognized by the Catholic Church.
The miraculous event involved a French nun, Sister Bernadette Moriau, who went on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in 2008. She had been suffering from spinal complications which had rendered her wheelchair-bound and fully disabled since 1980. She also said she had been taking morphine to control the pain.
Moriau’s case was brought to the attention of the International Medical Committee of Lourdes, who extensively researched the nun’s recovery. They eventually found that Moriau’s healing could not be scientifically explained.
After a healing is recognized by the Lourdes committee, the paperwork is then sent to the diocese of origin, where the local bishop has the final say. After the bishop’s blessing, a healing can then be officially recognized by the Church as a miracle. - The 70th miracle: Lourdes healing officially declared supernatural
Of the 70,000 alleged miracles at Lourdes only 70 miracles (as of 2018) have been approved as worthy of belief. The Cures at Lourdes which have been recognised as miraculous by the Church.
The second metaphor I will be using is taking the Woman of the Apocalypse and the apparitions at Fátima and the Miracle of the Sun.
12 And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars:
2 And being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered.
3 And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns: and on his head seven diadems:
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered; that, when she should be delivered, he might devour her son.
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with an iron rod: and her son was taken up to God, and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, that there they should feed her a thousand two hundred sixty days.
7 And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels:
8 And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduceth the whole world; and he was cast unto the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying: Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: because the accuser of our brethren is cast forth, who accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of the testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death.
12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you that dwell therein. Woe to the earth, and to the sea, because the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time.
13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman, who brought forth the man child:
14 And there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the desert unto her place, where she is nourished for a time and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman, water as it were a river; that he might cause her to be carried away by the river.
16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the river, which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17 And the dragon was angry against the woman: and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
18 And he stood upon the sand of the sea. - Revelation 12
It is easily seen as to how the Mary can be compared to the Woman of the Apocalypse with the Marian apparitions at Fátima and the Miracle of the Sun.
On the 13th day of the month, from May to October 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, who were ten, nine, and seven years old. Through these humble and simple children, Heaven provided Earth a warning of dangers to come that could lead to the destruction of the world and the ruin of countless souls. In a prophetic secret, Our Lady gave the children a frightening vision of Hell, and foretold the coming of the Second World War, the rise of Communist Russia, and the persecution of the Church. To draw the world from this ruinous course and to bring about a lasting peace, she called for the Rosary to be prayed daily, for acts of penance, and for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. With these dire warnings and urgent requests, the Mother of God also gave a promise of hope: “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”
All of this was reported by the shepherd children. The message of Fatima—without any propaganda or publicity—spread by word of mouth and crossed the frontiers of Portugal. The irresistible flow of pilgrims increased more and more in response to this message of hope. During the last apparition, on October 13, 1917, a crowd of 70,000 gathered at the Cova da Iria, where Our Lady had appeared to the children. She promised a great miracle that day so all would believe. As the crowds raised their eyes to Heaven in prayer, they would witness the promised miracle, confirming everything the children had said. They saw the sun dance.
Then the sun began to dance, whirling violently through the sky, shooting forth streams of light which colored objects on the ground. The sun then seemed to detach itself from the sky and plummet to the Earth. Another witness, Maria Carreira, recalled: “It looked like a wheel of fire that was going to fall on the people. They began to cry out, ‘We shall all be killed!’ Others called to Our Lady to save them. They recited acts of contrition. One woman began to confess her sins aloud, advertising that she had done this and that…” (quoted in Fatima for Today). The sun then climbed back to its normal place in the sky, leaving everything instantaneously dry, from the dirt on the ground to the clothes on the people’s backs. The whole spectacle lasted about 10 minutes.
Not every witness was a willing believer. Many were skeptics, and some were even declared enemies of the Church.
Not every witness was in Fatima either. The great miracle was seen by many people from neighboring towns and villages up to 25 miles away. These distant witnesses dispel theories of mass hallucination or suggestion resulting from the heightened emotion of expectation. - Hope and mercy and the “Miracle of the Sun”
When Lúcia (one of the seers) was asked why God healed so few people, she simply replied: “God knows the hearts of men. He is leery of man!”
Nevertheless, some medical miracles at Fátima have been approved by the Church.
Here are a couple of examples of Mary working miracles at Fátima, Portugal.
Our Lady's apparitions at Fatima ended October 13th 1917 with the spin of the solar disk for ten minutes in front of over fifty thousand people. Then the great sanctuary was built; celebrations started, and the hand of God revealed itself, especially through the miraculous events. We name a few, among the most significant.
Healing from cancer
Joaquim Duarte Oliveira, residing in Lisbon, got cancer,he had been lying in bed for eight years. He had received all possible care from the best specialists in Portugal, but but with no results. His wife, as a last resort, in October 1927, entrusted herself to Our Lady of Fatima to whom she made a promise; she administered to her husband, without his knowledge, a few drops of the prodigious water. On his pillow she would leave the edition "Voice of Fatima" where stories were told about the miraculous cure of Dr. Agacio Ribeiro. Joaquim, driven by curiosity began to read. By reading he felt the faith and hope in the Virgin. Unexpectedly, he began to pray to Our Lady of Fatima to heal him, as she had cured the doctor. Just at that moment he felt entirely transformed, totally healed, and the next day Joaquim resumed his normal life. A month later he went with his family to Fatima to thank the Virgin Mary.
Extraordinary healing
Emilia Martins 42 years, a native of Santiago,had beeb lying in bed for six years, she could hardly move around and her stomach did not tolerate any food. Woman of great faith she wanted to go to Fatima, but could not because she was too poor. Some devout people gathered the amount necessary to rent a car and so Emilia went with a nurse and two sisters. During the journey, her condition worsened and in Oporto Emilia was administered the last rites, but was able to resume her journey. When she arrived to the Sanctuary, she was brought on a stretcher to the hospital, while in the hospital underwent several syncopes, in one of which a doctor said, "She is dead." The insistence of one of the assistants, revealed a few heartbeats, it was decided to bring her to the Blessing of the sick. The sick woman, upon receiving the blessing, awoke as from sleep, opened her eyes and perked up little by little, finally she regained consciousness. She felt a general well-being and exclaimed: "I am healed" ... "May Our Lady of Fatima be praised and thanked". The doctor gave a certificate of full recovery, in which he declared that the fact had occurred so suddenly that the case was not medically explainable. - Fatima
Many are the miracles of the Healing Ministry of Mary.
In a Ripley's Believe It or Not moment, some would call restoring someone’s tongue, while others would like to denied it as fact.
On the left side of the Shrine of Our Lady of Oropa, there are three marble gravestones with inscriptions in Latin which refer to the three miracles legally recognized by the Ecclesiastical Authority and authenticated by regular canonical process. They are:
John the Baptist Perrone
John the Baptist Perrone in 1718 was taken prisoner by the Turks, who urged him to renounce the Catholic faith, he refused and his tongue was cut off. The Franciscans and rescued him so he could return to Piedmont. He came to Oropa for the coronation of Mary Healer of Oropa and obtained the grace: the instant the bishop Gattinara, Bishop of Alexandria, set down on the head of the Virgin the new tiara, he felt his tongue growing and recovered the ability to speak. As in the previous case, a canonical trial was started and ended in the year 1724 by approving as miracle "the recovery of tongue and speech by John Perrone.". - Miracles at Oropa
And then there was Padre Pio!
The Most Amazing Case of Padre Pio’s Intercession?
The case of Gemma di Giorgi baffles doctors. Born in the Sicilian town of Ribera on Christmas day, 1939, her mother noted that Gemma seemed different to other children.
Looking into the eyes of her little girl, Gemma’s mother noticed that her eyes seemed abnormal and malformed. Gemma’s mother took her to doctor after doctor, and they diagnosed that she had no pupils, and that there was no medicines or surgery that would cure her. Her parents concluded that they would have to pray for a miracle, they had a relation who was a nun and she recommended that they get in touch with Padre Pio. Gemma’s grandmother entreated the nun to send a letter to Padre Pio on behalf of her blind granddaughter.
After sending the letter, the nun had a dream where Padre Pio appeared to her and asked her, "where is Gemma for whom so many prayers are being offered that they are almost deafening?"
In the dream, the nun presented Gemma to Padre Pio and he made the sign of the cross over her eyes. The very next day, a letter arrived from Padre Pio. He wrote, "Dear daughter, rest assured that I will pray for Gemma. I send you my best wishes."
The ‘coincidence’ of the dream and the letter coming one after the other – stunned the nun who contacted Gemma’s family and persuaded them to take Gemma to see Padre Pio.
In 1947, Gemma and her grandmother set off for San Giovanni Rotondo. Gemma was 7 at the time. While they were on the way, mysteriously, inexplicably and unexpectedly, Gemma began to see…she could see the sea and a ship. When she told her grandmother, she took this as a sign and began to pray.
A miracle had clearly taken place, but Gemma’s grandmother was still under the impression that they needed to ask Padre Pio’s intercession, and to do so in person. When their journey ended and they reached San Giovanni Rotondo, Padre Pio saw Gemma approach, and said hello to her. He had never been introduced in ‘real life’ to Gemma, but knew who she was, the minute he clapped eyes on her.
The little seven-year-old Gemma entered the dark confines of Padre Pio’s confessional. Contrary to her grandmother’s wishes, Gemma never said anything of her eyes to Padre Pio, but he touched her eyes with the bloody part of his hand, and drew the sign of the cross on her.
Gemma’s grandmother was disappointed and emotional that Gemma had neglected to ask of Padre Pio a grace for healing her eyes. Tears streamed down her face, and so she went to confession to Padre Pio, and asked him to intercede on Gemma's behalf and said, "I asked the grace for Gemma and I told Padre Pio that Gemma was weeping because, in her confession with him she had forgotten to ask this grace. I will never forget his soft and tender voice as he answered me with these words, "Do you have faith, my daughter? The child must not weep and neither must you for the child sees, and you know she sees." I understood then that Padre Pio was alluding to the sea and the ship Gemma had seen during the trip and that God had used Padre Pio to break through the darkness that covered Gemma's eyes."
