New-York tribune., 1919-07-25
Deaf and Dumb Woman
! Hears and Speaks After
| Kissing Sacred Relic From
! the Wrist of St. Ann
Lame Boy Walks Unaided
Fifteen Hundred Crowd Into
Little Church in East
! 18th Street for Services

Faith triumphed over disease and
infrmity last night in the prayerful,
incense-laden atmosphere Of the
Church of st. Ann, 10 East Twelfth
Street. 1t was the seventh day of the
Novena. and 1900 men, women and
children crowded into the church.
blocked the aisles and even sat at the
foot of the altar until their turn came
to touch with their lips the sacred
relic that was to cure them of ills,
both temporal and spiritual.
The stream of humanity flowing
past the altar went on it's way too
swiftly to leave much impress behind.
Only the frightened eye and the
quickened step told the story of com
fort received, Of inspiration, of the
hope Of cure
In the mass surging up the aisle
howard the altar was a little boy-a
pathetic figure. He was suffering from
hip trouble and wore a brace. His
mother guided him tenderly forward,
guarding nm from the touch of the
crowd When his tun came to be
touched by the relics his pinched and
&izened face was transfgured. He
clutched his rosary and his lips moved
in prayer.
Walks Without Aid
Then something happened. He
Strengthened up and walked down the
aisle without his mothers assistance,
caring not at ali who jostled~ him as he
went. And his mother trailed after
him with tears in her eyes, audibly
blessing the good st. Anne as the beads
slipped through her fingers.
1--WE scarcely been out of bed for
the last two years, and here l am feel
ing fit, with the pain gone from my
back and strength in my limbs at last"
thankfully muttered an aged woman
with a shawl wrapped around her head.
But the most remarkable case of all
was the deaf and dumb woman who
suddenly spoke and appeared to hear.
Her story, as told to a priest, was that
she had been in this condition for
years. Suddenly, after kissing the
relic. she heard the tones of the organ
and thought miracle had happened.
But still she did not know that her
second sense had come back to her.
She walked down the aisle with great
rejoicing in her heart, hearing the rat
tling of rosary beads and the various
sounds in the church.
She Blames Articulate
When she reached the door she met
the priest and desired with all her
heart and soul that at last she heard.
No sooner had she wished than she be-
came articulate. SO remarkable was
the case that the priest had her make
written statement testifying that
she could both hear and speak.
Again last night youth kissed the
sacred bone, supposed to be taken from
the wrist of St. Anne, who vowed he
had been cured by the same token last
year. Physicians had pronounced his
doom. He had been far gone in con-
sumption, he declared. With the des-
perate hope of the very i'll he went
into the Church of ST. Anne during
the novena a year ago. Last night he
walked in, looking stalwart and we'll.
His cure was not of the kind that is
effected to-day and undone tomorrow.
AS he said himself, he was there last
night for very thankfulness and be-
cause he wanted to see how it was with
some Of his fellow sufferers.
10000 During the Novena
There We're many things to bring
such crowds into the Church of St.
Ann. Most of the pilgrims came for
religious devotion. Many of them hoped
for a miracle. A few were merely curl
Gus. Since the Novena began, 4O,O 900
people have been touched by the blessed
telic.
Last night Father l.. Dedare walked
from end to end of the long row facing
him and quickly touched with the relic
the head, the heart or, more often, the
lips Of the sick. They muttered
prayer and passed on their way At
the entrance to the church the Rev.
Jchn II. Southwick, priest of the parish,
talked to many Of them as they went
but and took q record of some Of their
cases. The petitions written by the
pilgrims rest in the church and when
ever one is granted, Father Southwick
IS told about it.