Power of prayer helps family in miraculous way

RELATED: Verification of miracle took years

By LINDA M. LINONIS

linonis@vindy.com

CAMPBELL

The power of prayer impacted the Sebest family in a miraculous way.

On a summer day in 2003, Jacob “Jack” Sebest, then 5 years old, drowned. Doctors at Tod Children’s Hospital in Youngstown offered little hope to the family. Marcy and Joseph Sebest Jr. were told if their son somehow survived, he would not be the boy they knew before the accident.

Today, 17-year-old Jack is a senior at Ursuline High School. He is a member of the National Honor Society, a percussionist in El Fuego liturgical choir, a member of Students of Stewardship liturgy committe e, involved in congressional debate as a state and national qualifier and on the speech and debate team, a tuba player in the marching and concert bands and a member of the soccer and golf teams.

Many believe the power of prayer intervened to make this so.

What happened with Jack has been documented as a miracle through intercessory prayer to Mother Maria Teresa Casini, who founded the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1894 in Italy. Mother Casini died in 1937.

In October 2015, the Sebest family was among 41 people from the Diocese of Youngstown who traveled to Italy for the beatification of Mother Casini. This is the story of the miracle that led to Mother Casini’s beatification, who is now Blessed Mother Casini. A second miracle must be documented for her to be canonized and declared a saint by the pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

Marcy Sebest and sons, Jack and Joseph “Joe” Sebest III, recently talked about the accident and miracle. Marcy is attendance secretary at Ursuline and Joe, 19, is a sophomore business administration major at Youngstown State University. Joseph Jr. died in November 2012. The family belongs to Christ the Good Shepherd Parish, where Jack is involved in the youth group, a participant in mission trips to Appalachia, a lector, server, family life representative and Confraternity of Christian Doctrine aide.

Though 13 years have passed since the accident on June 25, 2003, tears fell as Marcy recounted what happened.

She and the boys were at a swim party at a private home in Brookfield to celebrate the end of Joe’s baseball season. “It was a very hot and humid day ... in the low 90s,” Marcy recalled. “The pH in the pool was a tad off. ... The water was a bit cloudy and not crystal clear.” That didn’t deter the children and parents, numbering about 30, from cooling off, however.

About 9 p.m., people started to leave. Marcy was sitting by the pool and told her sons it was time to go. Joe got off a raft in the pool and Jack got a towel to dry off. Marcy said she looked away to get her bag. When she looked back, she asked, “Where’s Jack?” Because Jack had been out of the pool, she did not look in the pool.

Minutes passed as Marcy looked behind two large bushes behind the pool, around the house, into the street and storage garage. As Marcy’s search became more urgent, other parents helped look for Jack. The pool, which didn’t have lights, was checked again, but daylight was fading and the water was cloudy.

Becky Bretz of Hubbard, the baseball coach, went into the pool and found Jack on his back on the slope that sharply dropped from shallow to the deep end of 9 feet. “He was blue from the waist up,” Marcy said, adding she and other parents tried CPR.

Marcy had estimated Jack was in the pool about 13 minutes.

“Brookfield Fire Department got there in good time,” Marcy said, adding: “They were just great.” Then emergency medical services arrived. Jack was taken to Sharon Regional Hospital, the closest facility, then transferred to Tod, which had more expertise in pediatric trauma.

By then, Jack had been intubated (the insertion of a breathing tube that was difficult and time-consuming).

In the meantime, Marcy had called her husband, who went to Tod. While he waited for the family to arrive, he called the Oblate Sisters to ask them to pray for Jack. The Oblates knew the boys through their preschool and kindergarten. Oblate Sisters Teresina and Nora arrived at Tod as did the Revs. Timothy O’Neill, then pastor of St. Patrick Church in Hubbard; the Rev. Michael Swierz, the family’s pastor; and family and friends.

“Father Tim prayed in the hall, and Father Mike gave Jack the Last Rites,” Marcy said, noting the family was told Jack would not survive. “He was comatose and unresponsive,” Marcy said of the prognosis the family received from Dr. Samir Latifi, an internist who specializes in pediatric critical care medicine. He said Jack had lesions on his brain, and the trauma was irreversible. By now, it was about 3 a.m.

On June 26, Sisters Vittoria and Louann of the Oblate Sisters came to Tod and brought a prayer card of Mother Casini. A prayer card is a centuries-old Catholic tradition. Prayer or devotional cards may have a rendition of a saint with a prayer.

The prayer to Mother Casini is: “O Jesus, Burning Furnace of Love and Charity, and Victim for sins, we humbly pray that you glorify here on earth the Venerable Maria Teresa Casini, who through self-oblation and reparation, offered herself for the promotion of priestly vocations and sanctification of Priests. Through her intercession grant us the favor we ask with confidence.”

“I put the prayer card by Jack’s head,” Marcy said, adding she asked medical staff to keep it there. Jack remained comatose but hadn’t gone into cardiac arrest as anticipated. The doctors warned the family he would not survive.

On June 27, Marcy said family members called all the priests they knew and distributed copies of Mother Casini’s prayer, asking everyone to ask for her intercession. Congregrations in the Diocese of Youngstown prayed for the little boy.

Jack, who had been in an induced coma for 48 hours, “moved his hand,” Marcy said. “It was spontaneous and amazing.” This happened on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Oblate Sisters have a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and a Mass was said for Jack on this feast day.

On June 28, the breathing tube was removed as Marcy held Jack, expecting the worst. Jack’s eyes were closed; Marcy said “Hi Jack” and he replied “Hi Mom.” She asked him how he was, and Jack replied, “I’m good.” He wanted to stand up, and his mother let him. Joe came into the room and the boys watched a cartoon on TV.

Marcy said the doctors and physical therapists were amazed. She said doctors who had come in to check on Jack could not believe the boy who had been comatose was playing with his brother.

On June 29, Jack was discharged from the pediatric intensive-care unit.

“Doctors told us Jack might have nightmares, he might have developmental problems and probably wouldn’t be able to do math,” Marcy said.

Jack took an honors math class at Ursuline. Tests showed no sign of brain lesions.

“Jack hasn’t experienced any deficits ... mental or emotional,” Marcy said, adding he has had regular checkups.

Joe said he remembers a little about the accident. “I remember praying for my brother,” he said.

Jack said he recalls “brief moments” but mostly learned about the accident through his mother and family. “It’s his life; he needed to know what happened and how he was found in the water,” his mother said.

“I said I was sorry I didn’t listen,” Jack said.

Jack remembers the slip from the shallow to deep part and hurting his heels. “Jack isn’t afraid of the water,” Marcy said but since the accident, he always asks how deep it is.

“My husband and I always had a strong faith,” Marcy said. “I remember thinking that the Blessed Virgin Mary saw her son suffer and she would take care of mine.

“We’re very blessed and humbled. ... We don’t know why this happened or understand it fully,” Marcy said.

Jack, who aspires to be a priest, said, “I feel I owe something to God. I believe if you pay attention to what God wants for you ... you follow God’s wishes and that makes you happy. Everything is up to God.”

The Sebest family traveled to Italy, Oct. 27 through Nov. 4, 2015, for the beatification of Mother Casini. Marcy and Jack had an audience with Pope Francis on Nov. 4.

“We took a selfie together,” Jack said, adding he kissed the pope’s ring. “He held my hand,” Jack continued, and the pope asked Jack to pray for him.