Audrey Santo

Audrey Marie Santo (born 19 December 1983) is a young woman from Worcester, Massachusetts, through whom miracles are alleged to have happened.

The accident

On August 9, 1987, Audrey and her brother Stephen were playing in the driveway of her grandmother's house. She fell into the swimming pool and almost drowned. She was immediately rushed to hospital. According to Audrey's mother Linda, the presiding physician prescribed too much phenobarbital, causing Audrey to lapse into a coma. Three weeks later, Audrey emerged from the coma into a state called akinetic mutism; she is unable to move (except her eyes and fingers) or speak. From the beginning, many people came to pray for Audrey - not only relatives, but family friends and even strangers. The hospital was so inundated with people that Audrey was placed in a private room in the PICU.

The doctors informed her mother that Audrey would have to spend the rest of her days on life support. They recommended that Audrey be placed in an extended care facility. Insisting that her daughter was fully conscious though in a "non-moving, non-speaking state," Linda took Audrey home and prepared to care for her personally.

Shortly after the accident, Linda took Audrey to Medjugorje, a popular pilgrimage site in what was then Yugoslavia, where the Virgin Mary is said to appear to six visionaries since 1981. Audrey was present at one of the alleged apparitions; 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 victim soul; in Catholic belief, one who willingly takes on the suffering of others. Since Audrey does not speak, how Linda was able to discern this is unknown, however the possibility that she simply made it up can not be ruled out. Audrey subsequently went into cardiac arrest and almost died, requiring a $25,000 medical evacuation back to the United States. Rather than assuming that Audrey's health simply was not up to the strain of that much travel, her mother interpreted the child's heart failure as having to do with the fact that the apparition site was close to "the biggest abortion clinic in Yugoslavia".

The miracles

Since her visit to Medjugorje, many miracles have allegedly happened in Audrey's bedroom and her house. Her nurses report an overpowering scent of roses in her room. At least three of these women were not Catholics at the time, but converted after witnessing the reported miracles.

Audrey is also said to bear the stigmata. Typical of the alleged miracles in Audrey's home include icons supposedly weeping blood or oil, a bleeding statue of Jesus, consecrated hosts bleeding, blood appearing spontaneously in a tabernacle, oil dripping down the walls of the garage, and the Virgin Mary appearing in cloud formations overhead.

Many miraculous healings have been attributed to Audrey as well, typical of claims made about victim souls. Many people with various diseases or injuries have been supposedly cured either by visiting Audrey's house or by intercessory prayer offered by others at Audrey's house.

For example, Sheryle Parolisi of Methuen, Massachusetts, says she prayed at Audrey's bedside for the recovery of her son Joey, who had been badly injured in a motorcycle accident. She reports that on returning home Joey met her at the door without the crutches or cane which he had needed to help him walk since the accident. He told her that he "just had a feeling that he could walk". Medical reports comparing Joey's condition prior to and subsequent to his alleged cure are unavailable. It is possible that he was on the mend for some time and did not realize it.

Audrey herself has supposedly baffled medical science in a variety of ways:

• As of 1999, Audrey showed no bedsores despite having been in bed for 12 years. Either none were reported, or the assiduous care she receives at home has prevented them. She is arguably receiving a great deal more personal attention than she would in a medical facility.
• Her mechanical respirator occasionally stops, as does the flow of her feeding tube to her stomach. Believers state that Audrey voluntarily controls these devices through telekinesis because she has made a deliberate decision to fast for a period of time.
• She is reportedly not able to receive any solid food but is given Holy Communion hosts daily. Historically, people given to extremes of spiritual devotion are often said to exist solely on communion hosts. According to medical studies dating back to the Victorian era, when fasting was considered extremely admirable, such people are usually receiving some type of normal food. In addition, today's Communion hosts readily dissolve and are extremely easy to ingest.

Audrey's house has become a pilgrimage site. The home has been remodeled for this purpose and a large window installed in Audrey's bedroom so that visitors can view her as they pass by.

Controversy

In 1998, the Washington Post tested a sample of the oil which purportedly oozed from the icons in Audrey's room. Their tests revealed that the oil consisted of 80 percent corn or soybean oil, and 20 percent chicken fat.

In addition, an organization associated with Audrey Santo provides a "price list," and sells items such as photographs of Audrey and crucifixes which have been in Audrey's room, while also soliciting donations. This activity has led to suggestions that the Santo family is marketing Audrey's condition for personal gain.

The Audrey Santo story was also featured with disapproval in a season three episode of Penn & Teller's show "Bullshit". Upon receiving a price list for Audrey swag, Penn Jillette suggested reciprocating by giving Linda a conscience, as "the one she's got is clearly not working."

The Church's position on Audrey's miracles

Despite the vast amount of miracles claimed to have happened in Audrey's house, the Church has yet to form any jurisdiction on the source of the alleged miracles.

External links

• Audrey Santo's Official Web Page
• The Strange Case of Audrey Santo Boston Phoenix article pointing up cultural influence and controversy.
• Preliminary Findings in Audrey Santo Case Points out that the Catholic Church itself does not necessarily believe every claimed miracle.
• Statement by the Bishop of Worcester