Tim Daniel and Elizabeth Owens
(ZENIT News / Phoenix, 03.31.2025).- A near-tragic accident in Phoenix, Arizona, has turned into a story of faith, community, and what Vincent Robinson’s family believes to be a miracle. The 14-month-old boy, who was found unresponsive in the family’s backyard home pool, not only survived but made a full recovery—something his parents, Caitlin and Wesley Robinson, attribute to divine intervention, more specifically, to the intercession of Cardinal Pell.
The events of that fateful Sunday, March 2, unfolded in an instant. The Robinsons were preparing to visit relatives for lunch after Mass when they realized their youngest child was missing. What followed was every parent’s nightmare. Wesley discovered Vincent at the bottom of the home pool, lifeless. Rushed to the hospital, the toddler had no pulse upon arrival. Medical staff worked tirelessly for 52 minutes to revive him, eventually placing him on full life support. The prognosis was grim, and the family braced for the worst.
As news of the accident spread, an outpouring of prayers and support followed. Vincent’s uncle, Father Dan Connealy, drove two hours from Flagstaff to be with the family, arriving so shaken that he forgot to bring his prayer book for the last rites—an oversight that, in hindsight, he wouldn’t need to correct.
From the moment Vincent was admitted, prayers surged from family, friends, and beyond. The Robinsons reached out to the saints they had always venerated—especially those connected to their children and the family’s own history of loss. Among them was Cardinal George Pell, whom they had met during his visit to Phoenix in 2021. Inspired by their personal encounter with the late prelate, they specifically asked for his intercession, along with that of Blessed Conchita, a Mexican mother of nine who had lost her youngest child to drowning.
As Ash Wednesday arrived, a novena began, invoking the help of Blessed Father Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus. The flood of prayer requests was met with an unexpected and astonishing development—by late Wednesday night, hospital staff showed signs of cautious optimism.
“We knew something had changed when they told us we were now limited to two visitors at a time,” Wesley recalled. “In end-of-life situations, they usually allow as many as want to come.”
By Thursday, an MRI scan delivered a result no one had dared to hope for—Vincent’s brain, heart, and lungs showed no damage. What had started as a desperate struggle for survival quickly turned into a stunning recovery.
On March 13, the ninth and final day of their novena, Vincent was discharged from the hospital in perfect health. Doctors, while hesitant to label the case as miraculous, admitted that his rapid and complete recovery was difficult to explain.
The Robinsons, however, have no doubts. “We asked for a miracle, and we watched it unfold,” Caitlin said. “The doctors may struggle to explain it, but for us, the answer is clear.”
The experience has transformed the family, deepening their faith and solidifying their belief in the power of prayer. Caitlin, now expecting their ninth child, describes the past month as life-altering. “We always believed in the intercession of the saints, but now we’ve seen it in action. The Church Triumphant is not distant—it is present, fighting for us.”
Wesley, reflecting on the darkest days of their ordeal, said, “We know many people pray for miracles that don’t come in the way they hope. For whatever reason, God decided that Vincent’s time wasn’t up. We may never fully understand why, but we want to share this story, to encourage others, and to remind families that faith is real, and prayer is powerful.”
Cardinal Pell’s Unexpected Role
The story of Vincent’s survival reached Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney, who shared it at the launch of a new biography of Cardinal Pell. The news had come to him through Father Joseph Hamilton, Pell’s former secretary, who had been contacted by Father Connealy in the days following the accident.
For those who knew Cardinal Pell, the idea of his intercession is deeply fitting. Described by Archbishop Fisher as a man who embodied faith, hope, and charity in both life and suffering, Pell endured a wrongful conviction and 400 days in prison without giving in to bitterness or despair. Instead, he grew in grace, praying even for his persecutors.
While the Robinsons do not claim that their son’s survival is an official miracle attributable to Pell, they hope that their story will inspire others to seek his intercession. “If nothing else,” Caitlin said, “we want people to realize that those in heaven really do hear us. We are not alone in our struggles.”
For the Robinsons, this experience has reinforced an often-overlooked truth: the home is where faith begins. “We hope that one of the lasting fruits of this experience is that families remember the importance of the domestic church,” Wesley said. “Our homes are where we first learn to pray, where we first encounter God. If our children can hold onto the miracle they witnessed, then perhaps they will carry that faith into the rest of their lives.”
As for Vincent, he remains blissfully unaware of the drama surrounding his survival. Now one month older, he is the same lively child as before—except, as his parents say, with a story that will follow him for the rest of his life.
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