St Dominic Savio's canonization miracle: "you're going to get better."

St Dominic Savio (1842-1857)

Albano Sabatino wasn’t asleep. He heard everything the doctors said, despite their low whisperings.

He was only 12-years-old, too young to understand “terminal cases,” but old enough to interpret fear in his parents’ eyes. He was a boy from Italy, who climbed trees and raced his brothers home from school. Over winter, meningitis struck — violent and merciless. The doctor said the infection, which by then could be diagnosed by spinal tap and microscopy; spread too far, too fast. Al was septic and both kidneys were failing. It was 1943, wartime and too early for antibiotics and bedside dialysis to be available universally. 

By the third evening, Al couldn’t lift his head. His breathing was shallow and his skin; gray, mottled and cold. His mother knelt beside the bed, clutching a small relic attached to a holy card. It belonged to the altar boy, Dominic Savio, the teen student of St John Bosco, who died young of an infection.

“Dominic,” his Mom whispered, “you were a child too. Help my child.” She slipped both items under Al’s pillow.

Around midnight, something happened. Al said someone came to his bed, like a friend with a smile. He felt a warmth spread over him, like sunlight at the beach. He opened his eyes. Standing at the foot of the bed was a boy about his age, maybe older. He was dressed simply and smiled gently. He didn’t know who he was, but he wasn’t afraid. The strange boy said only one thing.

“You’re going to get better.” And then he was gone.

Later that morning, Al sat up. His fever broke. His breathing was normal. His strength returned and he was hungry. His parents rushed in, stunned to see him asking for water, food and wondering why everyone was staring. The doctors rounded that morning and could not explain it. The deadly meningitis — the one killing off his organs — was gone. He was making urine again.

When Al told his mother about the apparition, his mother showed him the relic and holy card.

“That’s him,” Al said. “That’s the boy who told me I’d get better.”

Healing documents were submitted to the Vatican for investigation into Dominic Savio’s canonization. This medically inexplicable recovery was attributed to the intercession of a teen saint who died from a similar infection. 

Why this miracle matters today. Teens are often demoralized or patronized, even bullied.

• “Wait until you’re older.”
• “You’re too young [to matter].”
• “You don’t understand yet.”

St Dominic’s story blows these lies apart. To St John Bosco, 14-year old orphans mattered, as did all orphans. St Savio inspired many orphan's souls with his holy life and death. Yet here, St Dominic saved a 12-year old boy's life -- after his death. 

St Dominic's story reminds teens, “find God now. We don’t have to wait to make a difference.” His feast day is May 6.

Resources: 

St Dominic Savio | Hozana.org

St Dominic Savio: 5 Miraculous Moments | Bob & Penny Lord