God visits in ways you least expect – The Highland County Press

By Fr. Mike ParaniukSt. Mary Catholic Church andSt. Benignus Catholic Church

March 22, 1994 was the first day of the rest of my life. I was 13 years into my Chaplaincy at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital. When the stress of caring for sick children became too heavy, I would leave the hospital and retreat to a place where no one could find me. Jesus had a desert.

I found solace in the quiet of my old second floor seminary room number 185 in Mount St. Mary Norwood. My class closed the seminary in 1981. Parts of the building were being used as a retreat center, but the north wing where I lived was unused for 13 years.

Room 185 was precious to me. It was there where for four years I studied, prayed, faced my demons and got to know Jesus. My vocation to priesthood was born in that room. Now the room served me as a place to rejuvenate my spirit to help worried parents and sick children to strengthen their faith.

Walking to my old room was like a Bela Lugosi movie in Castle Dracula. I had to climb steps strewn with fallen plaster. I plucked cobwebs sticking to my face. It was scary going down the dark corridor. The only light was provided by the sun from windows up ahead. My room was at the end of the corridor and around the corner.

On March 22, 1994, I was going down the large hallway. I was turning the corner when my voice beeper activated. The voice was garbled. I couldnt understand it. This could be an emergency, but I didnt know who was calling me. Cell phones were not invented yet. I went back down the steps, out to my car and drove to a nearby gas station to use the pay phone. Operators at the three hospitals where I ministered said they never called me.

I figured it must be a wrong number. I headed back to the seminary. I arrived at the front parking lot. I couldnt believe what I was not seeing. I should be seeing the North wing. It wasnt there. I drove around to the side. There I got a better view.

Tons and tons of bricks lay in rubble. I could even see my old sink hanging from the wall in mid-air with no floor underneath it. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks (pardon the pun). I thought, If it wasnt for that garbled voice on my beeper, I would have been in that room. I would now be lying squashed under a ton of bricks.

The thought of this caused my hands to tremble. Then I remembered what mom always told me, Always wear clean underwear and socks with no holes. You never know when you will be in an accident. I laughed. I dont think Moms advice would apply here.

After this harrowing experience, I drove home. I found out on the evening news the North Wing collapsed at 1:53 p.m. I remember getting my voice beep at 1:45 p.m. because I looked at my watch when it activated. I missed death by eight minutes.

I preached on this the following Sunday in 1994. The story spread quickly. It was featured in two books, Theres No Such Thing as Coincidence by Jan Wolterman and Small Miracles II by Yitta Halberstam.

The producers of the Oprah Winfrey Show got a hold of the Wolterman book. They invited me to her show on Feb. 28, 1998. Before rolling the video tape, Oprah approached me and said, Father Mike, God got His eye on you. He aint done with you yet. She laughed. I was too star struck to respond.

I felt like Elijah in 1 Kings Chapter 19. There was no heavy wind, nor fire, nor earthquake. He came to me in a little garbled voice that rescued me from death. I felt like Peter whom God plucked out of the raging sea.

God rescued me before I even knew I needed rescuing. Many times, God visits you and you may not realize it at first. Then you look back and say, Yeah. God was there.

Oprah was right, God got His eye on you. When the storms in your life get tough, put your eye on God, not the storm. God visits in ways you least expect.

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God visits in ways you least expect - The Highland County Press