Pre-Surgery, Bedside Confirmation

It felt like a small miracle when Father Stefan P. Starzynski came to Kelly Heaton's bedside and anointed her two hours before her brain surgery. And it seemed unbelievable when her family learned one of her brain abscesses had disappeared. Kelly was blessed by speedy recovery and diligent doctors. But she feels the greatest gift is that she found the Catholic faith before her illness. "Had I not had the Catholic family, I don't think I'd be here," she said. "That was a true miracle."

Kelly, a parishioner of Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville, Va., was raised Presbyterian. Her husband, Jim,...