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physical condition, for example, she has not apparently had bedsores in the eleven years she has been confined to her bed." He celebrated their "constant love and devotion to their daughter is a miracle in the broad sense of the word. They have always recognized the human dignity of their daughter, despite the circumstances."
785:
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During several masses at which Audrey was present, what seemed to be human blood appeared on consecrated communion wafers, or "hosts," although as with the oil no one claims they saw the moment the blood appeared. A substance that appeared to be blood also appeared in a chalice at the Santo home, and
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With regard to the many pilgrims who were praying to Audrey while she was still alive, he said "praying to Audrey is not acceptable in
Catholic teaching." Further, it was stated that "One should only pray for Audrey. Our faith teaches us to pray to God and to pray for the intercession of the saints.
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story says that Audrey's pediatrician, John
Harding, intended to examine the blood-smeared communion wafer under a microscope but felt that would be blasphemous and decided to use a magnifying glass instead. No findings from this examination are mentioned. In the same story, Linda Santo is quoted as
240:
who claims his mother's prayer at Audrey's bedside healed his injury, although his physician stated that Joey had always had a 75% chance of recovering. A Rhode Island mother also claims that an intercessory prayer to Audrey saved her choking daughter. A woman with metastatic breast cancer, Andrea
46:
Audrey Santo was the youngest of four children born to Linda and Steve Santo. On August 9, 1987, three-year-old Audrey was playing outside in the driveway with her four-year-old brother
Stephen. When Stephen came inside alone, Linda and her twelve-year-old son, Matthew, went to look for Audrey and
190:
Starting with one painting, and spreading to include many paintings and icons within the home, oil was said to exude from many objects near Audrey, and to spontaneously fill containers. No one ever claimed to have seen the moment of onset of such an event, only the already-oiled item. The oil was
181:
As word spread about Audrey, hundreds of visitors began coming to pray for healing near Audrey's bedside. Eventually, the family set up visiting hours and built a window in Audrey's bedroom wall through which visitors could view her. The window was later removed by order of the bishop. Audrey was
130:
is purported to have appeared periodically to six local
Catholics since 1981. This was a difficult and expensive journey with an incapacitated four-year-old child, but Linda believed it would result in Audrey being healed, even bringing a pair of sandals for Audrey to use once she was restored to
320:
The bishop's report does not confirm any of the alleged miracles and cautions against some of the beliefs being promoted. However, the bishop praised the care Audrey had received from her family. He lauded the "excellent care the family gives to their daughter. This has manifested itself in her
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To begin to consider this notion of "victim soul" with regards to Audrey, one would have to establish a corroborated understanding of Audrey's cognitive abilities. This has yet to be done. Beyond that, one would have to determine that Audrey, at the age of three was, and presently is, capable of
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Beatification and canonization require at least two fully documented and authenticated miracles. The board of directors of the Audrey Santo
Foundation asked in a web update on August 12, 2013, that "if anyone has specific knowledge of any such miracles, they must come forward that the proper
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found a sample of the oil to be 75% olive oil, and other tests found different or inconclusive results. Linda Santo agreed in response to a reporter's questioning that it was impossible to prove someone did not apply the oil to the statues, but insisted that she had not done so herself.
244:
Audrey once had a rash similar to a rash usually experienced by those undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, although Audrey never underwent such therapy. Those around her believed this was evidence that, as a "victim soul", she had taken on the suffering of some visitor with cancer.
178:"Audrey's popularity is largely a media creation, stemming from a 1996 televised documentary film about her on EWTN, a Christian broadcasting network in Alabama, which spawned a deluge of requests to the Santo family from people wanting to make a pilgrimage to see their daughter."
291:
He also stated in regard to the claim that Audrey was a purported "victim soul", "The term "victim soul" is not an official term in the Church. It was used in some circles in the 18th and 19th century when there was a fascination with suffering and
134:
Audrey was present at one of the alleged apparitions. According to her mother, she seemed to be aware, and nodded her head as if to say 'yes'. Linda states that Audrey communicated directly with the Virgin Mary and agreed to become a
158:
After the family returned from Međugorje, numerous miracles were purported to have occurred in Audrey's bedroom and within the house. The claimed miracles in Audrey's home included icons weeping blood or oil, a bleeding statue of
285:, released his preliminary findings on the case. In that report, the Bishop said that "The most striking evidence of the presence of God in the Santo home is seen in the dedication of the family to Audrey."
58:. According to Linda Santo, doctors recommended she be placed in an institution, but the family wanted her at home. In November, almost four months following the accident, Audrey was brought home.
241:
Pearson, attributed her improvement to Audrey, although her oncologist attributed the improvement to a medication she had just started taking. Pearson's cancer later spread to the brain.
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Some people have claimed that visiting Audrey, praying for her intercession, or having others pray or visit on their behalf has resulted in miraculous healing, including Joey
Parolisi of
866:
69:
Once she returned home, Audrey required 24-hour nursing care, provided by her family and a team of nurses provided by the
Massachusetts Commission for the Blind. She breathed through a
88:— unable to speak and with limited movement, but fully alert and awake. However, Edward Kaye, the pediatric neurologist who treated her for eight years following the accident, told a
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and almost died, requiring a medical evacuation back to the United States. Her mother interpreted the child's heart failure as due to the apparition site's proximity to "the biggest
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106:
in 1999, "If she can become consistent with movements of her hands, down for 'yes,' up for 'no,' or vice versa, it would be meaningful. Right now it's inconsistent."
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from
Microbac Laboratories of Pittsburgh found that sample contained 80 percent corn or soybean oil, and 20 percent chicken fat. Another test done by
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found her face down in the backyard swimming pool. Matthew dove in and pulled Audrey from the pool, and she was rushed to the hospital.
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As for the purported miracles, he said "I want to underscore that any paranormal occurrences are not miraculous in and of themselves".
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saying, "'If there weren't four bleeding hosts,' she asks, 'if there was just a child in a bed, would anyone pay attention to this?'"
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also on several occasions taken to a nearby college stadium or a large church, for a mass at which she could be viewed by the public.
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Audrey died on April 14, 2007, from cardio-respiratory failure. Family, friends and clergy were at her side. The
102:." A coma specialist, Ed Cooper, brought in by Linda Santo to help Audrey communicate with her hands, told CBS's
61:
Audrey's father Steve Santo left the family during the weeks after the accident and came back eight years later.
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appearing in cloud formations overhead. Linda Santo and a nurse have also allege that Audrey sometimes bore the
139:. In popular, or folk spirituality, a "victim soul" is someone who willingly takes on the suffering of others.
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27:
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In the case of the alleged "miracle oil," his report stated: "We must be careful not to identify this oil as "
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Kane, Paula M. "‘She
Offered Herself up’: The Victim Soul and Victim Spirituality in Catholicism."
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164:
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333:, gave official recognition to the foundation, allowing them to present their application to the
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A nonprofit foundation is pursuing the process of sainthood for Audrey. The Bishop of
Worcester,
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596:
Heaney, Joe. "Healed man swears by girl's mystical powers." The Boston Herald, November 10, 1997
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78:
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313:, which can only be celebrated by a priest or bishop, uses oil blessed by the bishop at the
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510:
Between Heaven and Earth: The Religious Worlds People Make and the Scholars Who Study Them
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are profoundly abnormal. She has brain stem activity, but very, very little above the
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reporter that "the cell death is about as bad as you can get and still be alive. Her
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269:. The public was allowed to attend these two events, but the burial was private.
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Therefore, the distribution of a "Prayer to Audrey" should cease immediately."
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341:, while remaining neutral himself as to whether Audrey should be a saint.
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31:
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309:," which could be used to anoint a person. The Sacrament of the
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175:, although this has never been documented with a photograph.
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There have been no published accounts of tests on the blood.
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Statement by Most Rev. Daniel P. Reilly, Bishop of Worcester
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Croteau, Scott J., "Beloved Audrey Marie Santo, 23, dies",
22:(December 19, 1983 – April 14, 2007), often referred to as
584:"Miracles or Deception: The Pathetic Case of Audrey Santo"
34:
were purported to have happened after she suffered severe
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collected in cups and given to visitors on cotton balls.
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Audrey's family contended that she was in a state called
118:. About a year after the accident, Linda took Audrey to
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making a free choice to accept the suffering of others.
163:, blood appearing spontaneously in a tabernacle and on
656:"Diocese Issues Interim Findings on Miraculous Claims"
773:
167:, oil dripping down the walls of the garage, and the
122:, which is a popular pilgrimage site in the then
317:, and is given to those who are seriously ill."
867:People with hypoxic and ischemic brain injuries
683:"Push For 'Little Audrey's' Sainthood Begins"
8:
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705:"'Little Audrey' Considered for Sainthood?"
574:
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561:, vol. 71, no. 1, 2002, pp. 80–119. JSTOR
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607:"Believers pray for "miracle" coma girl"
214:a statue of Mary appeared to cry blood.
77:for sustenance, purportedly taking only
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477:
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414:
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335:Congregation for the Causes of Saints
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862:People from Worcester, Massachusetts
857:Deaths from multiple organ failure
703:Kandra, Deacon Greg (2008-10-14).
536:"The Strange Case of Audrey Santo"
14:
453:"The Miracle of the Dripping Oil"
819:
807:
795:
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769:Video Interview with Linda Santo
729:"Letter from Board of Directors"
257:was held April 17, 2007 and the
391:Weingarten, Gene (1998-07-19).
733:Little Audrey Santo Foundation
513:. Princeton University Press.
424:Little Audrey Santo Foundation
142:Audrey subsequently went into
1:
451:Moriarty, Erin (1999-07-23).
38:in a near-drowning accident.
877:Catholics from Massachusetts
735:. 2013-08-12. Archived from
279:Catholic Bishop of Worcester
165:consecrated communion wafers
534:Barry, Ellen (1997-12-25).
261:on April 18, 2007, both at
893:
273:Catholic Church's position
54:for about three weeks, in
16:American Stigmata sufferer
635:. Britton Funeral Homes.
507:Orsi, Robert A. (2005).
272:
267:Worcester, Massachusetts
28:Worcester, Massachusetts
420:"Little Audrey's Story"
345:protocol is followed."
194:A test commissioned by
150:clinic in Yugoslavia".
299:
26:was a young girl from
662:on September 28, 2007
311:Anointing of the Sick
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50:Audrey remained in a
633:"Audrey Marie Santo"
482:Clark, Edie (2002).
363:Telegram and Gazette
263:St. Paul's Cathedral
114:The Santo family is
397:The Washington Post
220:The Washington Post
196:The Washington Post
393:"Tears for Audrey"
325:Case for sainthood
20:Audrey Marie Santo
852:American children
331:Robert J. McManus
249:Death and funeral
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741:. Retrieved
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685:. 2012-04-12
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660:the original
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580:Nickell, Joe
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75:feeding tube
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36:brain damage
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847:2007 deaths
842:1983 births
802:Catholicism
169:Virgin Mary
137:victim soul
128:Virgin Mary
872:Stigmatics
836:Categories
743:2014-03-18
714:2014-03-18
689:2014-03-09
618:2014-03-09
520:0691049033
493:2014-03-09
463:2014-03-18
459:. 48 Hours
434:2014-03-09
402:2014-03-09
349:References
124:Yugoslavia
100:brain stem
81:by mouth.
71:ventilator
790:Biography
666:April 16,
120:Međugorje
110:Međugorje
612:ABC News
457:CBS News
307:holy oil
173:stigmata
148:abortion
131:health.
116:Catholic
104:48 Hours
42:Accident
32:miracles
776:Portals
292:death."
234:Methuen
228:Healing
826:Saints
517:
65:Health
255:vigil
209:Blood
201:20/20
161:Jesus
668:2007
515:ISBN
339:Rome
96:EEGs
52:coma
337:in
265:in
186:Oil
838::
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