The Healing Ministry of Father Gus                        

Jesus's healing miracles

“What I want people to know is that prayer does work.  And miracles are still happening today.”

These are the words of my friend Fr. Gus, repeated often in his sermons, in prayer groups, in counseling, and during healing Masses.

Born in India, Fr. Augustine Fernando came to the U.S. in 1991 as a diocesan priest in Rockville Centre.  He was first appointed to St. Vincent de Paul, in Elmont, NY. He’d had plenty of experience praying for people.  In India, he’d taken part in a healing Mass for over 4,000 people.  He had no idea how powerful his prayers would become on Long Island.     

Through his devotion to Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother along with his faith in prayer, Fr. Gus has a remarkable history.  Numerous people who have been prayed for by Fr. Gus have received astounding healing or graces. 

Answered Prayer 

Here are just a few of the remarkable stories of God answering prayer through him.

In August 1994, Fr. Gus attended a healing Mass at St. Anne’s in Garden City, with Fr. Dennis Kelleher presiding.  At the end of the Mass Fr. Kelleher asked Fr. Gus to join him in praying over people. At the time, Fr. Gus had no idea that he would eventually take over the healing ministry when Fr. Kelleher passed.   As Fr. Gus reached one woman on line, he felt Jesus saying, “You are worried about something.  Jesus says, “I will take care of it.”  He continued praying over the people. 

A year later, Fr. Gus was at another one of Fr.  Kelleher’s healing Masses when a woman came up to him at the end of the night.  “Do you remember me?” she asked.   She reminded him that he’d told her he felt Jesus wanted to tell her, “Jesus will take care of it.”  Her husband had been diagnosed with cancer and was scheduled for exploratory surgery the next day because doctors believed cancer had spread.  She was worried that if her husband died, she would be left alone with three children.   But they had prayed and trusted in God, and the surgery found no cancer whatsoever. The woman didn’t know where to contact Fr. Gus so she waited until she heard that he would be at this healing Mass so she could thank him.  “You are thanking the wrong person!” Fr. Gus told her.  “It was Jesus that healed your husband.  Go and thank Jesus!”

Becoming A Mother

Eileen DiBitetto had been trying to conceive for over ten years. In August 1991, her sister in law saw a bulletin announcement for a healing Mass for couples trying to conceive. These Masses at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Douglaston, NY always begin with the rosary, followed by testimonies of grateful parents who had conceived or adopted after praying at one of the healing Masses.   “At one point during the rosary, Fr. Gus came off the altar and walked over to us, took my hand, and looked into my eyes.  He said, ‘Jesus says, Trust in God.  I have dedicated the rosary for you.'”  I got tears.  I felt like, wow, there’s a possibility now!  I just got a sense of peace, and the message that I don’t have any control over this situation so I will give it to God and let Him decide.”

Three or four weeks later Fr. Gus received an email at the rectory from Eileen, whose name he hadn’t known.  “Father, we have been trying to conceive for ten years.  We came to your healing Mass and you said to trust.  I want you to know I just found out I’m pregnant!”  He emailed back, “Praise God!”

After that came a phone call.  Doctors told Eileen and her husband Tony that her blood count was 67 and needed to be at least 1500 or they could lose their baby through miscarriage.  Fr. Gus said he would pray again for the couple and urged them to trust in God.  The next time he spoke to them, Eileen’s blood count had gone up to 400.   Then it went to 760.  Fr. Gus kept says, “I just knew it in my mind that this baby was going to be ok.”  So he kept reminding them to, “Trust in God. Don’t worry! Jesus will take care of it.”  In another couple of weeks, the couple called to report Eileen’s blood count was over 1500! They asked Fr. Gus to baptize their son Michael on June 15, 2002.  He also gave Michael his First Communion.

More Miracle Births

Months later in 2002, Eileen brought her sister, Peggy Olsen to see Fr. Gus for the same infertility problem.   Soon after, Debbie became pregnant with triplets!  Born prematurely, there were some concerns when they were born.  Fr. Gus went to see them at the hospital. “I prayed, God let me know that these babies will be alright.  I prayed over the first girl, and she immediately moved her foot and opened one eye.  The second girl had no reaction.  The third baby, the boy, had the exact same reaction as his sister…she moved her foot and opened an eye.  I said to the parents, ‘these two are fine; this girl may have to stay in the hospital a little longer.’  And that’s just how it happened.  One girl remained in the hospital for two more weeks.”  All three are thriving today at 18. 

On Christmas Day, 2006, Dorothy Caputo came to Fr. Gus crying after Mass. He prayed over her and told her, “Jesus sees your tears.”  For six years she and her husband Paul had been praying for a baby. Fr. Gus said to trust God and believe that all things are possible with Him Exactly one year later on Christmas Eve, 2007, a son Jimmy was born.  Then Jimmy’s mother came again to Fr. Gus in 2009, saying Jimmy needs a sibling.  Fr Gus prayed for a baby again and they had a baby girl, Megan in 2009.

A young couple was very disappointed when she was not becoming pregnant.  In Feb. 2016 Fr Gus prayed over them, reminding them that he is just the instrument; God is the healer, and to keep praying and trust in God. Baby boy Harrison was born on Dec 30, 2017.   At his baptism at St. Killian’s church, the baby wouldn’t let anyone hold him except Fr. Gus!

Joseph and Elizabeth Armano were married in 2016, hoping to start a family right away.  But Elizabeth wasn’t conceiving and was starting to feel concerned.  Joe’s sister Diane suggested they have Fr. Gus, who she’d known for years, pray for the couple to conceive.  Two months later, Elizabeth was pregnant, and their son Joseph Jr. was born in June 2020.

Nicole Nunn says she “experienced a true miracle.”  Suffering from an anxiety disorder, she attended a healing Mass in Blue Point, Long Island.  As usual, at the end of the Mass, anyone who wanted individual prayer could come to the front of the church.  “I didn’t say a word to him, and he says, “The two things you are worried about, they’re not going to happen.  You can stop worrying.”  Nicole had been worrying about getting cancer (which was in her family) after having endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome which was in her family, and about her inability to conceive.  She went to visit Fr. Gus and he again told her he felt strongly that she was going to conceive.  She was at the pre-surgical testing for laparoscopic surgery to clean out anything left from the endometriosis, when she was stunned to learn she was pregnant! .Fr. Gus continued to pray with her over the phone and baptized Brooke Elizabeth, now 2 years old.  “He adores these children he prayed for!” Nicole says.

Jennifer Liotta had already had three miscarriages.  Doctors said if she conceived again, there would probably be another miscarriage. The couple had decided to adopt and had started the process when Fr. Gus prayed over her at a healing Mass at St. Anastasia’s, Douglaston, NY.  He told her he sensed that she would conceive a baby.  “I was kind of not hearing it.  We’d given up on conceiving and were all set to adopt,” Jennifer recalls.  But a few months later Jennifer called Fr Gus.  “I have good news and bad news,” she said.  “The bad news is that the adoption fell through, the birth mother is keeping her child.  The good news is that I’m pregnant!” After a week she came to the prayer meeting and told the people “I’m having twins.” – a boy and a girl.   Jennifer and her husband shared their story at a later healing Mass for other hopeful couples.

Jamie Robinson of Garden City was told in 2009 that she would never be able to have children because of extremely low egg supply.  “It was heartbreaking.  My husband and I were so excited to have children.  I called my mom, crying, and she just said, “You can be sad today, but tomorrow you get up and keep fighting.”  Everyone in the family started praying that somehow Jamie could conceive.  Then her grandmother said she’d heard of a priest with a healing ministry who prayed for infertile couples.  On Good Friday 2012 Jamie and her husband met her parents and grandparents at Fr. Gus’s Mass, and after the Mass Fr. Gus prayed over her.  Four months later, Jamie was pregnant – with twins!   William and James.  Then she and her husband were hoping for a sibling for the twins and again weren’t conceiving. After two devastating miscarriages,  they went back to Fr. Gus “and that’s when we became very close.  We started going to his monthly healing Mass, and we’d go sit and talk with him, and he just kept saying, ‘Trust in God.’ He said to have the boys, then aged 5, to pray for a new baby.  I got pregnant and I was so scared of miscarrying again, and Fr. Gus said, talk to the baby, and just keep praying.”  That baby is Drew Harper.

In January 2019, on a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine in Mexico, Canadian Geri Bishop met Fr. Gus.  “I’d had a devotion to OLof G for so many years and I knew she was the patroness of the unborn.  Then at dinner one night Fr. Gus mentioned his ministry.”  Geri shared with him her two nieces who were trying to conceive and a woman at work who’s daughter was trying to adopt a baby.  “I’ve always loved babies and so I was instantly drawn to his stories.  He wrote down the names of the people I asked him to pray for who were hoping to conceive or adopt.  Within a week of the trip, a baby came through for the couple waiting for a baby to adopt!”  A picture of them holding their new baby girl was texted to Fr. Gus. 

Another couple, my friend’s daughter, suddenly conceived.  Fr. Gus sent her a medal of OLofG with a lovely letter.  Another woman who wasn’t able to conceive suddenly became pregnant, and a few weeks ago I was at Adoration and my friend’s father in law came up to me and told me Naomi is due in August!”   In all seven people who Fr. Gus was asked to pray for on that trip either had babies or adopted after years of infertility, including two sisters both had their baby in October 2019.    

Also on the Our Lady of Guadalupe pilgrimage was Ellen Mullen of Louisiana.  Before she left, she asked friends if they had any prayer intentions.  One friend asked for prayer for her daughter Kate who had been hoping to conceive for years. At this point, they were praying to either conceive or adopt a child.  “I met Fr. Gus on the trip and learned about his healing ministry.  I asked him if he would include my friend’s prayer intention, and he wrote down their names, Kate and Paul Migues.  He told me to take his phone number so when the baby came, I could send him a picture.”  Eleven months later, Kate and Paul adopted a baby girl.  The happy parents texted Fr. Gus a picture of their new baby.

Fr. Gus points out is his firm belief that to receive a miracle from God, one must be in a state of grace.  He encourages frequent reception of the Sacraments.

Fr. Gus retired in 2014 but continues the healing ministry through monthly healing Masses.  He continues to remind everyone, “to trust in God, and to believe everything is possible with God!  Miracles are still happening today! Never give up on God!”

 

 

 

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2 thoughts on “The Healing Ministry of Father Gus                        ”

  1. I am in a difficult time in my life, I have so many problems. I worry about my finances & bills that have been piled up since my finance’s death & losing our business. My health is not good; I am very weak, exhausted, in pain. My brother John is having problems in his marriage & my brother Michael has mental illness. I am so worried for all of us. I have so much coming against me & my family. Please pray for all of us, our finances, physical & emotional well-being. Thank you. Blessings, Valerie Long Island, NY

  2. My own little miracle.

    I Once was Lost
    By Christine Mulvihill

    Here I am drowning in the sea
    A sea of everything I don’t want to be
    A sea of all my failures and mistakes
    A sea of my tears and splitting headaches.

    Waves of sorrow wash over my face
    I go under with a silent grace
    I fall down deeper in my depression
    Deeper and deeper into my obsession

    I’m overwhelmed with all my faults
    My skin is burning from the salts
    Salts of what I could have been
    If only I could have seen
    What the future has in store
    How soon I would reach the shore.

    How my storm dried up in the sun
    Maybe I am a lucky one.

    Now I’m walking on water because I have Faith
    This tortuous dungeon I have escaped
    I hold his hand as he walks me to land
    I bend down and kiss the merciful sand

    So happy to have found happiness again
    Now the sun overpowers the rain
    Amazing grace how sweet the sound
    I once was lost but now am found.
    ———————————–
    More stories of faith and hope at http://www.childhood-cancer-survivor.com/

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