Healing of Charles Anne

Hemorrhaging stopped, fever broke, and lungs fully restored overnight. Worn relic (sachet of Thérèse's hair) while praying novena. Physicians confirmed destroyed lung tissue had been replaced. Sustained recovery verified in 1917.

In the summer of 1906, Charles Anne, a twenty-three-year-old seminarian from the Diocese of Bayeux in Normandy, suffered a series of violent pulmonary hemorrhages. Examining physicians — Dr. Paul Loisnel among them — discovered a deep cavity in his lungs, severely damaged bronchi, and confirmed the presence of tuberculosis bacilli in his sputum. The diagnosis was advanced pulmonary tuberculosis. Both physicians declared his condition beyond hope of recovery.

Charles Anne had a particular devotion to Thérèse Martin, the young Carmelite of Lisieux who had died in 1897 and whose cause for beatification was already underway. He obtained a small sachet containing strands of her hair and wore it around his neck as a relic.

His condition continued to deteriorate through the following months. His parents prayed a novena invoking Thérèse's intercession through Our Lady of Lourdes. Charles Anne then prayed a second novena directly to Thérèse, invoking her promise to spend her heaven doing good upon earth. In early 1907, believing he was dying, he fell asleep holding the relic. When he woke, the hemorrhaging had stopped. His fever had broken. All pain had ceased. The reversal was overnight and complete.

Physicians who examined him afterward found his lungs restored beyond medical explanation. Dr. Adolphe-Jean Leprévost, who examined him in 1917 to verify the sustained recovery, testified before the Sacred Congregation of Rites: "The destroyed and ravaged lungs had been replaced by new lungs, carrying out their normal functions and about to revive the entire organism." Three physicians in total gave expert testimony before the Congregation.

Charles Anne was ordained a priest and served as chaplain at the Hospice in Lisieux, remaining in good health for many years. The Sacred Congregation of Rites approved his healing as a miracle on March 19, 1923.