Healer returns to western Mass.By Natasha Clark, Reminder Assistant Editor
The last time Lorraine Louvat was in the area, St, Michael's Church in East Longmeadow hosted two healing services.
There, Louvat laid her hands on people and prayed "in the name of Jesus be healed." Two people attending that service claimed they were healed.
This week Louvat returns to the Pioneer Valley, this time she will have healing services at a variety of churches throughout the week, the first being Mt. Caramel in Springfield.
Luke Bartnik is a junior at East Longmeadow High School. Last week he told Reminder Publications that he was healed on the second night of Louvat's two-day healing service at St. Michael's.
Bartnik had been suffering from a back injury since football camp last summer. He was also born with his left leg shorter than his right.
"I had to put stuff in my shoes to even it out," Bartnik said.
He said he did not want to even attend the service, his mother did.
"Right when I came in the church, I sat down way in the back. And about 5 seconds after I came in she stopped everything," Bartnik recalled. "She said she had this feeling that someone needed to be helped in the audience. Before she picked me I had this weird feeling through my whole body. I wasn't sure if it was me [she was talking about] and she picked me out of everyone."
Carol Raffaele attests to this. She was also in the audience that evening. In a separate interview she recalled the same story as Bartnik.
"She went to the back of the church and said he was in a lot of pain and asked him to walk to the front," Raffaele said. "She said he experienced a lot of back pain."
That was what Luke said frightened him.
"There's no way anybody can know all that about me. I had never seen her before," Bartnik said.
Yet, Bartnik said Louvat told him in front of everyone that his back was "injured from football and she knew my left leg was shorter than my right."
"First she made everyone stand around me. She said if you want to see a miracle [to come down]," Bartnik said. "She made me sit down and she put my legs together and then she held both of them. She said something and I saw my left leg grow. I felt this weird feeling through my whole leg. It was really scary. I was not expecting to see it grow out like that. I don't know how to explain it."
While Raffaele was not sitting close enough to the front to see Bartnik's physical healing, she said "those that saw it said that this young boy was sobbing."
After that, Bartnik said Louvat had him stand and "she just touched my back and I felt my back crack a couple of times."
Since then Bartnik said sometimes his back "aches a little bit, but no where near where it was before that." He said his leg has never bothered him again.
When asked if this experience has changed him, he answered, "maybe. I believe in God more."
Raffaele was not just amazed at Bartnik's experience. She said her husband, Billy, was also healed that night.
"My husband and niece have experienced serious forms of cancer this year. When we went to the service my husband had developed a new lump and could have been malignant."
Billy was scheduled to have a biopsy, but in the mean time he and his wife went to Louvat's healing service.
She said Louvat prayed over him, but they did not know if he was healed immediately since the lump was on his back. Raffale said it healed overnight.
"It was quite different in appearance. The color, size and texture changed overnight. He absolutely believed that this was divine intervention," she explained.
Raffaele said by the time they went to the oncologist he would not even biopsy it. While the oncologist had not had the opportunity to view the lump prior to Billy attending the service, Raffale said based on the way it looked upon the doctor's inspection, the doctor did not feel a biopsy was needed.
Raffaele said she understands how people can be skeptical.
"[But], if it happened to you and someone you know and love, it makes you a believer," she added.
Louvat will host healing services in Massachusetts from May 8-12.
The following is a list of her scheduled appearances:
May 8, 6 p.m., Mt. Caramel, 123 Williams St. in Springfield.
May 9, 6 p.m., St. Mary Parish, 519 Longmeadow Street in Longmeadow.
May 10, 6 p.m., St. Cecilia's Parish, 42 Main street in Wilbraham.
May 11, 6 p.m., Our Lady of Mount Caramel, 123 Williams St. in Springfield.
May 12, 7 p.m., St. Mary's of the Annunciation, 134 Norfolk Street, Cambridge, MA
May 13, 10 a.m., Saint Joseph Melkite Greek Catholic Church, 241 Hampshire Street, Lawrence, MA.
For more information on Lorraine Louvat visit www.reminderpublications.com, then click on "story links."
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