Miraculous journey - father's story of faith touches daughter

BURLINGTON, Vt. (Catholic Online) - Father's Day is a chance to look back and reflect on the gifts we each have received from the person we call dad. But sometimes, those remembrances go back years, decades or even generations.

The story of George that made the papers around the time of the Great Depression is just such a journey of faith that has currency today. There was a young lad who was adventuresome and wondered near a place he had been warned not to go to. As he walked on an area of firm ground, the earth opened up and flames engulfed his legs, leaving them charred to the bone. The doctor's prognosis was dim: this 8-year old might not survive and should not be moved from his home. Modern burn treatment centers and burn therapies did not exist then. His family cared for him and prayed for him. They prayed often, and George prayed as well. The doctor was relieved that the patient survived the initial trauma, but announced that the legs may need to be amputated. No parent or child wants to hear that kind of news. Again, the family prayed. And George, who had exceptional faith in Mary, the Mother of God, prayed some more. On a subsequent visit, the doctor discovered there were small areas of skin growth. He was stunned because this seemed impossible due to the severity of the burns. The medical authorities, however, did not offer much hope for this child's recovery. On July 14, 1929, his parents brought him on a pilgrimage to "Our Lady of the Flood," a statue and a shrine located at St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Waterbury, Vt. (A major flood in 1927 caused extensive property damage to the church, yet a statue of the Mary was lifted from its pedestal and landed about 20 feet away perfectly facing the altar. There had been thousands of visitors to see this unharmed statue.) His parents carried him in their arms; his legs bent grotesquely double, still with bandages covering open wounds. They placed him at the altar to pray in front of the statue of Mary. After the visit, his parents testified to having seen some improvement in the following days. There were prayers of thanksgiving. His older brother, Bud, was his legs and carried him each day, lifting him up on chairs for meals, carrying him from room to room, and pulling him in a wagon. In time, a thin layer of skin covered both of George's legs and he gained strength by sitting on the floor and propelling himself using his hands. Slowly, George learned to walk with crutches, and on Sept. 19 of that year, he returned with his parents to the "Our Lady of the Flood" statue to offer thanksgiving. He returned home, prayed each day to Mary and practiced walking with crutches in hopes of some day walking on his own. Though the doctor warned that his legs were too weak to walk without crutches, George begged his parents to take him back to the shrine because he wanted to leave his crutches at the base of the statue. Two years from the day of the flood, George and his parents went to the anniversary Mass at St. Andrew's Church unannounced. George walked on his crutches to the altar, knelt and left the crutches at the base of the statue. To the amazement of the people at the Mass, he raised his small body up, stood, turned and walked away. The event was reported in New England newspapers and the Sunday, Nov. 3, 1929, Associated Press news wire as a "miracle." George went on to ride bikes, play basketball on a state championship team, deliver ice cream with his father, build a summer camp with his uncle, ski, dance, roller and ice skate, and even work for a moving company. He eventually married, raised two children and became a deputy chief in the Burlington, Vt. fire department. Ironically, George Carty lost his life at the age of 42 in the line of duty as a firefighter. Forty-two is a young age to die, but due to his faith in God, Mary and the Catholic Church, he had a special appreciation for each of the years he lived after an accident that nearly took his life at the age of 8. George Carty was my father and on this Father's Day I am giving him the gift of sharing with others his beautiful story of faith, perseverance and hope. This the least I can do to repay him for the many gifts he gave to me: life; love; a multitude of smiles; dancing and piano lessons; teaching me to swim, dive, skate, shoot hoops, twirl a baton, fish, ice and roller skate, and tie knots; reading to me the same books over and over; sharing school stories; the love of music, dance and horses; respect for other people; willingness to help others; the importance of work; the summers at our camp; kindness; gentleness; but most of all, I thank him for showing and sharing with me his faith, hope and trust in God and the church. - - - Mary Carty is the Home and Family editor of Catholic Online.

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