The restoration of sight as recorded through the use of the blessed oil that burned before the shrine of St. Philomena ... quoted from E. Seton's book, St. Philomena's Roses.
"A French woman had recourse to the oil of Saint Philomena. For three years she suffered with a disease of the eyes, and so much pain that she could neither eat nor sleep. The slightest contact with air or light would cause her to scream with pain. The doctor did all in his power for her, but finally pronounced her case absolutely hopeless. The poor woman, having devotion to St. Philomena, commenced a novena in her honor and anointed her eyes with the oil. During the novena, her sufferings increased in intensity and continued until the morning of the ninth day. She had to be helped and guided by her daughter in every step she took in the house. On the last day of the novena the good woman had a Mass celebrated for herself, and after the Mass, on taking off her bandages, her sight was suddenly restored."

"Your friend and patron, St. Philomena, has been beyond doubt the Wonder-Worker. My dear wife is now free from her head noises, pronounced incurable, sleeplessness, nervous depression and other ailments. Her digestive organs are working perfectly. The transformation commenced on the 25th of February.

"Her troubles had been going on for five years during which she was successively in the hands of seven clever doctors, who, however, could do nothing for her. St. Philomena's Life came to us from you. My wife read it at first in a very cursory manner while in bed where she used to spend the greater part of her time. After perusing it superficially she put it on her table and appeared to forget all about it. She took it up again on the morning of the 25th of February, and this time read it with great avidity, so much so, that she could scarcely put it down. Finally she went on her knees and prayed to the Saint to aid her in her great trouble. Every day after that she read a part of the book and always seemed to find something new in it.

"The doctor's visits had ceased for some time. At the end of a fortnight from the date of her prayer she went to her doctor's house. He at first failed to recognise her, so improved had she become.

"Her cure is not only complete. It is solid. I have waited long to tell you. Now I can guarantee the stablility of the change..."

Replicas of the statue of the Saint and prints from her shrine, as well as medals, have proved efficacious to expectant mothers.

There is one instance where the Saint is supposed to have encouraged a timid wife who might have faced the birth of her child in painful despair. Finding herself alone, she prayed to the Mother of God for help. A maiden appeared by her bedside saying she was "Philomena" sent to assist. The relieved mother-to-be promised to name her child after the kind girl. The baby lived. The heavenly maiden vanished. When the new mother carried her child to the church, she saw a statue of the Virgin Martyr, Philomena, and recognized its similarity to her heavensent helper.

Modern mothers trust St. Philomena to carry their babies through to the baptismal font. Positive proof of this is Philomena Sharon of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This beautiful ten-year-old girl is a direct answer to the prayers of a young couple who longed for the kiss of their own child. They had just momentarily loved and lost their first three babies, and never looked upon the faces of their stillborn infant twins. This fine young couple prayed for a family. Gladly they accepted from a Sister of Charity some medals and prayers honoring St. Philomena. Before a statue of the Saint they burned a vigil light day and night to keep their lovely child. She was a challenge to doctors who feared she would never breathe or her mother would cease to breathe. Both are normal and happy today.

A young English girl had been happily married to a Frenchman for six months when she contracted a serious illness, and the doctors declared it was utterly impossible for her to become a mother, as she so earnestly desired. Hearing of the wonderful cures which had been wrought at Mugnano, her husband took her there, both hoping that she might be cured, but on reaching Naples the young wife became rapidly worse. Still she did not despair, but shutting herself up one day in her own room she fell on her knees and besought St. Philomena to help her. She told the little Saint that, as her condition was hopeless from a human point of view, she put all her confidence in her, and trusted that as she was so powerful in heaven and so good to all who sought her aid, she would cure her. She also promised that in spite of her sufferings she would visit the Saint at Mugnano the next day, and would ask her not only to restore her to health but to obtain for her the happiness of being a mother, and that she would give her child the name of Philomena and would direct all the yearnings of its young heart to God.

She trustfully offered her prayer the next day at the famous shrine of the Wonder-Worker, and a year later she returned, a happy mother and in perfect health.

Pauline Marie Jaricot, a French girl from an aristocratic family, had acquired a relic of St. Philomena and by 1835 Pauline Jaricot had encouraged many to spread devotion to Philomena.

On a day when Pauline was acutely ill after a heart attack she was encouraged to "Go to Philomena."

While on pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Philomena in Mugnano Pauline was determined to stop at Rome to receive the personal blessing of the Holy Father. While on her journey she was delayed by another coronary flare-up. Accompanied by two nurses and her chaplain her attendants feared for her life. Together they tried to persuade Pauline to return home, but Pauline refused and finally they arrived in Rome.

The kind Pontiff smiled on this girl who seemed too weak to rise from her reclining couch. He whispered a prayer that she would remember his intention when she reached heaven, so convienced was he that she was close to dying. Pauline also whispered words to Pope Gregory XVI.."If on my return from Mugnano I were to come to the Vatican on foot, then would Your Holiness deign to proceed without delay to the final inquiry into the cause of Philomena?" "That I can agree to without giving it a thought," replied the Pope, "for that would be a miracle of the first order."

When Pauline arrived at Mugnano some time later, the people there were terrified by her deathlike appearance. They carried her into the church on her reclining chair. Then they knelt at the shrine of St, Philomena and prayed for a cure for the girl who had undertaken such a heroic pilgrimage.

God had compassion on Philomena and she was cured.

On her return as she hoped she would, she came to the Holy Father on foot. Pope Gregory XVI was startled. "Is this really my dear daughter? and has she come back from the grave, or has God manifested in her favor the power of the Virgin-Martyr?" he asked.

It is indeed I, Your Holiness," she said. "It is the woman you saw at death's door so short a time ago. God has had compassionon me, thanks to Philomena's prayers."

Before Pauline left the audience chamber the Pope promised once again to authorize immediately and officially the examination of Philomena's cause.

Devotion to St. Philomena received the solemn approbation of the Church but not until frequent and fervent supplications to that effect had been sent to Rome.

We know that the canonization of Saints is intimately connected with the existence of miracles, and it is the common teaching of theologians and canonists that the decree of canonization is infallible. Thenty-five years after the discovery of Philomena's body, her cause for canonization actually began.

Pope Gregory XVI, who instituted investigation regarding the girl martyr, Philomena, was most precautious. He had personally been witness to the miraculous cure of Pauline Marie Jaricot, foundress of the Propagation of the Faith. He had given his apostolic blessing to the invalid long before she was carried on a litter to the shrine of St. Philomena. Pauline had seemed beyond medical help. When she returned from the Mugnano shrine and came in person to present herself at the Roman Tribunal, Pope Gregory declared her cure "a miracle of the first class." This Pontiff also gave the Saint the new title of Patroness of the Living Rosary, an association of prayer founded by Pauline Jaricot, in conjunction with the Association for the Propagation of the Faith.