Urgent Prayer Request for Fr. Raphael Mary Salzillo, O.P.

Fr. Raphael Mary is well-known to the good people of Blessed Sacrament parish here in Seattle. He is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. Please pray for him. Here is the scoop:

I’m sorry for the mass email – it is not usually my style but is easy for communicating information to a large group. I would like to ask your prayers for a surgery that I will have on June12th. As some of you know, I’ve had an aneurysm in my aorta for some time now. It has been gradually growing and has now reached the point where surgery seems to be the best decision.

I’ll be having the surgery in Chicago, at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
They have a center for Marfan’s syndrome (the congenital condition that I have) and are experts in this kind of surgery. The operation itself will involve replacing a section of my aorta with a synthetic graft: from the top of the heart, around the arch to my mid-chest area. The risks of the surgery are about 2-3% mortality plus another 1-2% chance of surviving but being paraplegic.

I will be admitted to the hospital on June 10th and the surgery will happen on the 12th. After about a week to ten days in the hospital, I will return to South Bend, where my mom (who is a nurse) will take care of me for the first few weeks of my recovery.

I would be grateful for your prayers, both for me and for my parents. I think they are (unsurprisingly) considerably more worried than I. Also, please feel free to share any of this information with anyone that I have forgotten, or anyone else you think would want to know.

Blessings,
Fr. Raphael Mary, OP

Some background is in order here. The reason Fr. Raphael’s parents are so worried is that he is the sole survivor of their three children. So please lift up this family that has lost so much and given so much love to the world. For those of you in the area:

We will have a 8:00 a.m. Mass offering for Fr. Raphael Mary Salzillo on Wednesday, June 12, at Blessed Sacrament Church. We will pray the rosary after the Mass for successful surgery and speedy recovery for Fr. Raphael Mary. If you can, please come join us. Please pass this information to other you know who may be able to come join us. Thanks very much for your prayers!

Father, hear our prayer for a successful surgery and quick recovery for Fr. Raphael Mary. Give grace, strength and healing to him in body, soul and spirit. Give grace, knowledge, understanding, skill, compassion, and wisdom to his caregivers. And give grace, faith, hope, love and strength to all who love him. Mother Mary and St. Luke, pray for them. We ask this through Christ our Lord.