Francis Pascal:

Blindness Cured

The problem with miracles is that there are just too many of them. Internet research will disclose a never-ending stream of stories and claims about the miraculous. Some or many may be a fortuitous coincidence that can be explained as natural events. Unexplained medical cures may in fact be a spontaneous remission of the disease. That doesn’t rule out divine intervention; it just makes it more difficult to classify as a miracle. Ironically, too many inexplicable events would make them commonplace and thereby undermine the miracle of God.

We could go on endlessly describing events that have no explanation other than the intervening hand of God. Miraculous instant healings are but one example. Still, the skeptic argues that even the medically inexplicable healings are inexplicable because we don’t understand the power of the body to heal itself through the power of suggestion.

Francis Pascal

Consider the case of the blind 3-year-old Francis Pascal. Did he heal himself?

Faith may move mountains, religious fervor may unleash bodily mechanisms to destroy illness, but is it possible that a little boy, age 3, blind and paralyzed could instantly be cured in the waters of Lourdes? The answer is yes, and the cure of Francis Pascal is included among the 70 officially recognized cures.

In December 1937 Francis Pascal contracted meningitis and was rendered completely blind and paralyzed. Five doctors and specialists examined him before he traveled to Lourdes in August 1938 and confirmed that he could not distinguish night from day and was paralyzed in arms and legs. In 1957 his mother was interviewed, and tells us:

“I was in despair. My only baby was blind and stiff as a board, and all the doctors said nothing could be done. I took him to Lourdes as a last hope. I had faith, but not much. I told Our Lady I wanted Francis to die if she wasn’t going to cure him.

“I carried him to the baths myself. He screamed when the attendants lowered him in the water. I thought he was having a fit. He certainly wasn’t cured, and I hesitated to take him again. But two days later I did. This time he made no fuss, and as I carried him back to the hospice where they care for the sick pilgrims he suddenly pointed to one of the other pilgrim wheel-beds.

“‘Look, Mamam [Pascal is French],’ he cried, ‘the lady’s wheeling a little carriage.’

“I was so excited I nearly fainted. My little Francis could see and move. He wobbled a bit when he first tried to walk, but soon he walked normally.”

The above is quoted from a newspaper article written by Rhona Churchill which appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on June 19, 1957. Ms Churchill also interviewed the family doctor who had taken care of little Francis. Dr. Darde confirmed everything that Francis’ mother had said.

“When Mme. Pascal brought him back to me walking and seeing perfectly, I cried: ‘Mon Dieu [My God], but it’s a miracle.’

“I took him into the street and pointed to my car. I said: ‘What is it?’ He said, ‘It’s a car, Monsieur.’ I said: ‘What color is it?’ He said: ‘It is red.

“I was just as excited as Mme. Pascal. I wept. I have kept in touch with the family ever since. Francis is a good, quiet lad, hardworking and homeloving. Not one for drinking with the boys or chasing the girls. I think he deserved his miracle.”

Francis’ case was carefully documented. Following the war, eleven doctors examined him and reported:

“That the medical records proved that Francis had suffered from meningomyelitis with choked disc, flaccid paralysis of the lower limbs, stiffness of the upper limbs, cerebellar disturbance and total blindness;

“That the symptoms of paralysis and blindness disappeared abruptly at a time when the development of the disease left no hope that they would even improve;

“That the cure was definite, instantaneous and complete;

“That there was no medical explanation for it.

“In July 1947 Francis was examined again, this time by 15 doctors, including four specialists.

“In September 1948 he was examined by 20 doctors.”

Each time the verdict was the same: “The cure of Francis Pascal is humanly inexplicable, took place without medical aid, has lasted 10 years, is beyond the realm of natural law.”

Francis Pascal became an official Lourdes miracle cure in May 1949.

There can be no doubt. This was a miraculous cure. Who benefitted? Clearly, Francis Pascal did, his mother and family, and so did the other members of the Body of Christ. That would, or should, include you.

Some websites and references

Footnotes and Attributions

The photograph of little Francis Pascal was retrieved from the ListVerse website.

Last modified July 27, 2019