Healed at Lourdes

Ice cream is what was on seven-year-old Christy David Pathiala’s mind as he walked towards the miraculous spring at Lourdes in 1989.
 
Today, he is a priest from India serving temporarily in Bismarck, but then, he was visiting Lourdes with his father David, mother Baby, and ten-year-old brother Fausty. They were on a world tour, traveling from their temporary home in, Sultanate of Oman, in the Middle East where his father was an international banker and the boys attended a private school.
 
The family walked through town, headed to the spring-fed baths to take their turn among pilgrims to be dipped into the waters where miracles sometime happen. The only thing Father Christy recalls at the time, however, is spotting an ice cream parlor and pulling on his mother’s sari.  “Can I have ice cream?” he asked.  It was a silly request. Ice cream could send him to the hospital. 
Life threatening illness
Before he was too young to even remember, Christy went into a sudden seizure that would not quit. He ended up in the intensive care unit, unconscious, and unresponsive for 12 hours. The doctor believed that he was unlikely to survive and if he did, would be abnormal or paralyzed.   
Christy’s parents prayed hard and suddenly the medicine started working. But after his recovery, sudden temperature changes—even just standing in front of a fan—would send him back to the hospital with a high fever needing to be packed in ice to bring it back down. Eating ice cream was simply not an option for him.


But in Lourdes this day, Baby told her son, “If you have faith in our Lady, you can have ice cream.”
 
Father Christy said his take-away was, “I’m going to get ice cream!” He does not recall thinking about the story of St. Bernadette Soubirous, a poor girl to whom the Blessed Mother first appeared on Feb. 11, 1858 in a cave on the banks of the Gave River in Lourdes. The visions continued for several weeks. After the first two weeks, a spring emerged, and the waters were miraculously healing people. On March 25, the woman in the visions told Bernadette that she was "the Immaculate Conception" and that a chapel should be built on the site of the apparitions. Today, six million visitors come annually to see the grotto and dip in the spring.  Many miracles are still claimed to take place there.
None of this was on Christy’s mind at the time. “I didn’t really understand what was happening,” he said, “but I thought, ‘I’m getting ice cream!’”
Healing waters
 
When they got to the baths, just ahead of him was a lady with a severely handicapped son in a wheel chair. After Christy came out of the water and stepped back outside with his dad and brother (waiting for Baby), the lady with the handicapped son, walked over to him. “She handed me five francs and said, ‘Go have your ice cream.’” he said. “She gave my brother a coin, too, and then spoke to my father for some time. As she was leaving, she asked me to pray for her son.”
 
When his mother rejoined them (the men and women go to separate baths) and learned of the encounter, they first searched for the lady. After an unsuccessful attempt, she said, “Even if he dies, we are buying him ice cream.” 
 
“Chocolate,” Christy ordered at the counter. But, that flavor was 15 francs, so his dad paid for it with other money. His mother kept those two coins and has them in a special pouch to this day. Christy did not get sick from the cold that day or ever again. He was healed! 
 
It was a monumental trip in many ways. In addition, the family got to meet the now Saint Pope John Paul II who actually hugged the boys, and also Mother Teresa. It was during that trip in 1989, that Father Christy felt the first glimmer that perhaps God was calling him to the priesthood. He also developed a closed relationship with the Blessed Mother which continues today.
 
The family moved back to India seven years later and in 2010, Father Christy was ordained a priest. In the whole of India, only 1.55% are Catholic, just under 80% of the country is Hindu and 14% Muslim and 2.3% Christian (which includes Catholics). In his home state of Keralite in Southern India, 19% are Christian and, of those, 55% are Catholic.
 
Studying in Bismarck
 
Father Christy arrived in Bismarck in August of 2017 on sabbatical from his position as the Vice Chairman of St. Albert's College to get a master’s in business administration at the University of Mary working toward a doctorate in computer science. He plans to return to India in 2023.  He served at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit during his first year here and is now across town at St. Mary’s parish.
 
Father Christy will direct this year’s Women’s Simple Lenten Retreat on Saturday, March 2 at Corpus Christi Church in Bismarck. He will speak on “God Over Stuff” about prioritizing God over the busyness, stress and materialism of the world. Father Christy will also share his miracle story, how God has a plan for every one of us and how we are all interconnected with each other.
 
The retreat begins at 8:30 a.m. with Mass and includes breakfast, lunch, vendors, two talks, adoration and confession, ending at 2:30 p.m. Registration opens at 7:45 a.m. To register, go to the bismarckdiocese.com and click on the “Events” tab. Or, send your check to PO Box 1137, Bismarck, 58501.  Early registration is $25. After Feb. 20, it is $30. Call 222-3035 with any questions.