Commentary

Some saints fly under the radar. The miracles that they perform are products of innocence, love, and grit. The 2004 motion picture Saint Ralph is a meditation on such saintliness and virtue; every bit of grace is hard earned. The film's portrayal of healing, running, religion, and adolescence ranges from hilarious to inspirational. Ralph Walker, as we first meet him, veers closer to sin than to good deeds, though the Canadian teenager's infractions are minor—cursing, lying, and impure thoughts. At the turbulent age of 14, his unlikely path to sainthood is thorny. Ralph's father, a war hero, is dead. His mother, Emma, is hospitalized and lapses into a coma. If his mother dies, Ralph will be sent to an orphanage. Ralph's problems don't end there. The girl of his dreams, Claire, aspires to be a nun. Ralph is often antagonized by the strict principal of his Catholic school, Father Fitzpatrick, who orders Ralph to join the high school cross-country team as an outlet for the boy's “energy surplus.” The cigarette-smoking Ralph Walker has no desire to run. Even his last name suggests a slower-paced mode of locomotion. Ralph makes frequent visits to the hospital, but he is unable to wake his comatose mother. Nonetheless, he talks to her, reads to her, plays music for her, and stimulates her sense of smell. The doctors say it will take a miracle for her to come out of the coma. It is 1953. Medical miracles are in short supply. So Ralph asks his ninth-grade religion teacher, Father Hibbert, a basic question: “Do you need to be a saint to produce a miracle?” Father Hibbert, who is also the coach of the cross-country team, informs Ralph that a miracle requires faith, purity, and prayer. Ralph wonders what kind of miracle he might be capable of manufacturing. The answer comes to him after Father Hibbert jokes that it would be a miracle if anyone on the cross-country team won the Boston Marathon. The prestigious race is 26.2 miles long and 180 days away. It would be startling for any teenager to win the event; it would certainly be a miracle for Ralph to finish first. The priests at the school scoff and tell him to forget about miracles. Ralph refuses to be deterred. “Stay on pace. Be a martyr,” he reminds himself. The boy's capacity for hard work and suffering is exceptional. Father Hibbert trains him, and Claire provides spiritual guidance. Alice, the hospital nurse caring for his mother, encourages him. Ralph transforms himself. His faith, hope, and single-mindedness gradually change all those around him too. Despite the odds, Ralph makes it to the 1954 Boston Marathon. He runs as if possessed. God (or possibly Ralph's deceased father), in the guise of Santa Claus, appears to him during the most difficult part of the race and urges Ralph on. Still, it is not enough to win, though Ralph comes close. At the finish line, he is devastated by his failure to procure the miracle that he is convinced would save his mother. The film ends with Ralph's mother holding his Boston Marathon finisher's medal between her hands. She opens her eyes after being in a coma for 7 months. She mutters “Ralph” and smiles. Meanwhile, Ralph is still running. Uphill. Saint Ralph treads into some mysterious terrain—the confluence of health care and spirituality. The film grapples with many intriguing questions: What does it truly mean to be a saint? Does suffering transfigure and elevate human beings? How do hope and prayer affect the recovery from serious illness? Is there a place in the realm of medicine for miracles? A miracle is commonly described as an extraordinary occurrence linked to God. Another definition offered by Saint Ralph is the ability to lift a single life (and maybe even save one) despite great personal hardship. Miracles start with a leap of faith and always involve a bit of risk. How often do doctors witness miracles? How do they explain them? How eager are physicians in embracing miracles? Doctors are rather inconspicuous in this film. The small hospital is strikingly crude. It is devoid of any imposing medical machinery. There is no ICU. Fifty-five years ago, the comatose patient in the movie has only a bandaged head and an intravenous line. If a miracle is to happen, it will result not from the application of flashy technology but rather from a child's love for his mother and unflinching faith in the likelihood of her recovery. It is a nurse, not doctors, who provides the constant medical attention required by the comatose patient and the compassion needed by her grief-stricken son. It is a teenage girl, not the Catholic priests, who stokes Ralph's quest for a miracle. Saint Ralph emphasizes the importance of hope, the value of prayer as medicine, and the toll of a patient's sickness on their family members. Empathy and spirituality are equally valuable in the face of critical or terminal illness. The film reminds doctors and nurses that a patient's family has important needs, too. Many family members have a desire to be involved in the care of their loved one. They want to be useful. Prayer provides one way that friends and family can be actively involved in the healing process. Saint Ralph speaks to the notion of the impossible—impossible causes, impossible feats. The film chooses to focus on “phenomenon” rather than “futility.” Healing requires faith—in one's body, in the doctor, and in the treatment. Patients and physicians must believe in the greatness within themselves. It also helps to believe in something bigger than ourselves.

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