Forensic
artistry, and lots of prayer
By Lou Baldwin
Special to The CS&T
PHILADELPHIA — When the body of St. John Neumann received new episcopal
vestments and a new face mask on Dec. 27, forensic artist Frank Bender
was on hand at the saint’s shrine at St. Peter the Apostle Church.
Bender, a Philadelphia artist, was chosen to craft the mask because he
is considered an expert in his field.
He works with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, and his
genius lies in his ability to reconstruct accurately the features of often
decomposed crime victims to aid in their identification. His work replicating
the faces of fugitives also helps officials envision how their faces may
have changed over the years, helping to solve decades-old crimes.
Working from the single photograph of a saint was unusual for Bender,
but the skills he needed were exactly the same — the results show.
“I’ve never done anything like this,” he said. “It
was definitely the most challenging [assignment] in a spiritual way, and
a positive way.”
And while he was working on the saint’s mask, Bender said his wife
received a cure — which he believes was miraculous.
Last July Janice Lynn Bender was suffering from what was diagnosed as
cancer, which tests showed had metastasized and spread from her breasts
to her ribs, lungs and thyroid. The prognosis was so poor she decided
to forego radiation or chemotherapy after a single session.
During that time, the Benders were visited by Redemptorist Father Kevin
Moley, the pastor of St. Peter Parish, to discuss the new mask for St.
John Neumann. When he heard about Janice Lynn’s illness, Father
Moley recited the prayer to St. John Neumann over her, and another priest
placed the saint’s relic on her.
Over the next month or so, one-by-one, the diagnosed cancers disappeared.
The doctors told the Benders that previous tests must have been misinterpreted.
But personally, Bender finds it absurd that four different tests, conducted
at two separate hospitals, would all be wrong. He believes his wife truly
had cancer and that medical science had nothing to do with the cure.
Another grateful man who was present at St. Peter Church on Dec. 27 was
John Dougherty, the business manager for Local 98 International Brother
of Electrical Workers. He was there to oversee work to modernize the lighting
in the glass casket during the rare time when it was open.
His family has had long devotion to St. John Neumann. And several years
ago, when Dougherty’s wife had a serious medical condition —
arterial vein malformation — the family prayed to Philadelphia’s
sainted bishop before a scheduled operation. Then, during a pre-surgery
exploratory procedure, the doctors found a significant shrinkage in the
affected area. They decided surgery was unnecessary.
“It was a lot of good doctoring and a lot of good prayer,”
Dougherty said.
In fact, although the Church officially recognizes only the three miracles
that were required for Bishop Neumann’s beatification and sainthood,
over the years many people have come to believe they’ve received
a remission of an illness through his intercession, Father Moley said.
Lou Baldwin is a member of St. Leo parish and a freelance writer.
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