How This Atheist Helped the Church Prove a Miracle

Yes. You read that title correctly. The Vatican relied on Dr. Jacalyn Duffin, an atheist, to help prove a miracle.

A couple of Grotto team members recently attended the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Theology on Tap featuring Fr. John Kartje, PhD, where we heard this atheist’s story.

Dr. Jacalyn Duffin is a medical historian, hematologist, author, and professor at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada.

The Vatican hired her, by way of a blind study, to provide expert testimony in the case of a second miracle presented in the cause for the canonization of Marie-Marguerite d’Youville, the founder of the Order of Sisters of Charity of Montreal, who was later declared the first Canadian-born saint.

Watch an interview with Dr. Duffin where she explains the study and the Church’s understanding of miracles and says, “Yes, this is a miracle. It’s a thing of wonder. Something that I can’t explain.”

If you are interested in learning more about what determines a miraculous healing, check out the Facebook Live video from Fr. Kartje’s Theology on Tap talk.