By Kenneth J. Souza
Anchor Staff
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Watching Jose Amaral confidently stride through the majestic nave of St. Anthony of Padua Church, his beloved home parish, it’s hard to believe he once had to struggle with forearm crutches to make his way a few feet up to the altar to receive holy Communion.
For years he would make sure to enter the historic New Bedford church through the Bullard Street side entrance, so there would be fewer stairs to negotiate and easier access to his preferred pew near the statue of Our Lady of Fatima during Mass.
When it came time to receive holy Communion, Amaral would make the difficult trek down the aisle — going as far as his strength would allow, dragging his feet behind him — and then slide into a front-row pew until his wife and family could assist him back out the closest exit.
“Parishioners have found it impossible not to notice and admire Jose’s deep faith,” noted his pastor, Father Roger J. Landry. “Since St. Anthony’s presently has no handicapped access, he had to leave his wheelchair in his van. But he has always done so without self-pity or complaint because, he said, God and the beauty of St. Anthony’s were worth the extra effort.”
Back in February 1980 Amaral, then 19, was diagnosed with spinal stenosis — or a narrowing of the spinal column that compresses the cord and nerves — accompanied by arthritis.
“When I was 19 years old, I hurt my back,” he said. “Since then I’ve always had back problems. In 1984 I had my first surgery. The doctors at the time told me if I didn’t have the surgery, I’d be paralyzed by the age of 30. So I had it done. I felt better, but not 100 percent.”
Admitting he “did things I probably shouldn’t have done” such as going back to work earlier than recommended by his doctor, Amaral relapsed in 1997 and by 2000 things started getting worse.
“By 2003 my left leg got numb and I went to a neurosurgeon and he told me I had severe nerve damage,” he said. “He basically told me my spine was like a train wreck.”
Soon he was wheelchair-bound and could only walk with a cane or forearm crutches.
After two more unsuccessful surgeries in July 2003, Amaral underwent a complex cervical fusion procedure in January 2004 that didn’t yield any better results.
“The damage was already done,” he said. “My doctor described it like having a ‘stroke of the spine,’ where the connections from the brain to the spine just weren’t working.”
A devout Catholic and man of faith, Amaral had accepted God’s will for his life, realizing he would never walk or work again, and took the opportunity to renew his relationship with God through prayer, reading Scripture, and meditating on his favorite book, “My Imitation of Christ.”
And despite his disability, he made a point of faithfully attending Mass at his home parish of St. Anthony of Padua, even though the historic structure lacked the convenience of handicap accessibility.
His special devotion to Our Lady of Fatima wouldn’t keep him away from his pew of choice; after all, he knew the fastest way to Jesus was through his mother.
“What did she say at the wedding at Cana?” Amaral asked. “Do whatever he tells you.”
But things began to change on January 26, 2008.
After experiencing a short stint of depression fueled by his mother’s recent cataracts operation and his inability to see her on a regular basis, Amaral went to confession before Mass that day and expressed remorse for having a hard time accepting God’s will for him. He felt his disability was making it difficult for him to be a good husband, father and son to his family.
“My mother used to come to my house everyday and I had a scooter and I used to go see my parents,” he said. “Well, my scooter wasn’t working and she couldn’t drive, so I was home alone during the day from 7:30 in the morning until about 3:30 in the afternoon, five days a week. That’s when the depression started in a sense, because I knew my mom and dad needed me.”
Amaral had also coincidentally been reading the Gospel passage Mark 2:1-12 that day about the incident where Jesus cured a paralytic man first by absolving him of his sins, then by curing his physical paralysis.
“That afternoon I went to confession so that Jesus could heal me of my sins,” he said. “Something happened during that confession that I cannot explain, but I felt different.”
Later Amaral heard during Mass that his parish would be sponsoring a trip to New York to see Pope Benedict XVI. He secretly wished and prayed that he would be able to join his fellow parishioners on the pilgrimage.
After Mass, his wife Ann Marie immediately asked him if he’d like to go on the trip and they made the necessary arrangements with Father Landry.
Filled with anticipation for the papal trip, Amaral settled at home that night in front of a statue of St. Anthony; a pamphlet for the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, on which he regularly meditated; and a photo of the late Pope John Paul II, to whom he often prayed for intercession in his life.
“My wife and son had gone out to see a movie, and I remember the Bruins weren’t playing that night,” Amaral said. “So I turned the TV on to EWTN and they were playing the movie ‘Witness to Hope,’ about John Paul II. I always believed what Pope John Paul said about divine providence and I can remember him saying: ‘Be not afraid. Don’t be afraid of what you need to do.’ That hit home with me.”
Amaral felt a pervasive sense of peace over the next few days. Then on the following Wednesday at just about 3 p.m. — the hour of mercy — as he was beginning to pray his daily Divine Mercy Chaplet, he once again looked over at the photo of Pope John Paul II and felt the irresistible urge to stand up and walk.
“I just got up,” he said. “I didn’t hear any voices or anything — I just got up and started walking. The more I kept walking, the more this exuberance came over me. There were a couple of times before where I could walk for a short period and then it would go away. But I knew this time it was different. Those times before my legs were shaking, and I didn’t feel that this time. The more I walked, the stronger I felt.”
Amaral’s wife, Ann Marie, said she was initially stunned and then thrilled when she first learned about his miraculous cure, although she remained concerned about a potential relapse.
“I had seen him stand and walk before, but it never lasted long,” she said. “He would walk a little bit and then five minutes later he’d be disappointed. So I was wondering if this was another situation where he’d be back in his wheelchair. Of course I was happy, but I was also worried for him and didn’t want him to be disappointed again.”
But Amaral was never concerned about his cure being either temporary or permanent — either way, it was God’s will.
“I wasn’t afraid, because I think I had finally accepted it,” Amaral said. “Even right now, if something were to happen and I couldn’t walk again, I’d say ‘OK, that’s how it is.’ I accept whatever God gives me.”
After telling other family members and friends about his miraculous cure, Amaral walked into church on February 2 to share his good news with his pastor, Father Landry, who immediately asked him to write about his experience.
“As I was taking off my vestments after Mass, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Jose walk erect into the sacristy and stand before me with a smile broader than the Braga Bridge,” Father Landry said. “He told me the story of how the Lord — through, he believes, the intercession of Pope John Paul II — healed him. I then asked him to write the story up so that I could share it with his fellow parishioners as well as send it to the postulator of Pope John Paul’s cause in Rome.”
Two weeks later, Amaral walked into his doctor’s office and left him speechless for five minutes. After examining his patient, the doctor was baffled, noting although he still exhibited symptoms of his disease — numbness in his legs, pain in his neck — he could offer no medical explanation as to why Amaral was able to walk.
Amaral’s miraculous recovery and, more specifically, the prayerful intercession of Pope John Paul II also caught the attention of the ABC News show “20/20,” which is devoting a segment of its upcoming April 2 Good Friday special “Becoming a Saint” to telling his story.
The hour-long special, hosted by Elizabeth Vargas, will also focus on the recent canonization of St. Damien of Molokai and delve into the eventual canonization of Servant of God Father Emil J. Kapaun.
According to Richard Gerdau, segment producer for “20/20,” they first heard about Jose Amaral’s miraculous recovery through a newspaper article and felt it was a compelling story that needed to be told.
“We saw some polling data that suggested about 80 percent of Americans believe in miracles,” Gerdau said. “The whole show is centered around ordinary Americans of diverse backgrounds who have all experienced miracles.”
“My understanding is there’s 250 miracles now being considered in Pope John Paul II’s cause for canonization,” Amaral said. “No one has contacted me from the Vatican and I think they’re looking at many different cases. Are they going to use me as one of the examples to make John Paul II a saint? I don’t know. But I know I’m one of 250 being considered.”
While he believes the intercession of Pope John Paul II was the catalyst for his miraculous healing, Amaral also stresses that it was through his healing in the confessional that his physical cure was made possible.
“To me, this was more of an inner miracle,” he said. “You first cleanse yourself inside and it goes back to the confessional. I never prayed for the strength to walk so I could have a good job. I always strived to increase my faith, hope and charity so I could become a better husband, son, and neighbor — in essence, a better Catholic.”
Now more than two years after experiencing the inexplicable, Amaral admits he often feels more pain than he did before, but it’s all worth it because he’s now able to walk and do so much more. He’s an active member of the parish Knights of Columbus council, he volunteers for the weekly food pantry and soup kitchen effort at St. Anthony’s, and he’s also involved with the Men of the Sacred Heart and the Legion of Mary.
“I help out wherever God leads me,” he said. “I believe going to confession was a key to my spiritual healing which then led to my physical healing. I believe God’s message to all of us is this: pick up your cross and accept God’s will for your life — whatever that may be — and only then will you experience the peace that surpasses any understanding.”
Watch the full 20/20 episode online HERE
Click HERE for a link to ABC News’ 20/20 website