Miracle at Solana Beach

Reprinted from the Asian Journal
Decembr 28, 2007



Once again, Christmas came -- like a fresh stream of cool water through a sun-baked, blistering desert. It came with jolly Santa on a sleigh, bags full of toys for children, naughty or nice. It came with multicolored lights and parols, melodious Jingle/Silver bells, trees galore and fun-packed malls.

It also came with warm family reunions, friendly gift exchanges, solemn Midnight Mass, and the traditional “Noche Buena”. People the world over came together in joyful celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth -- humankind’s greatest miracle.


The greatest miracle of all reminds me of another miracle, albeit on a much smaller scale. Akin, in some ways, to the tale of St. Joseph’s miraculous staircase in Sante Fe, New Mexico, its sacredness lingers on though more than a decade has passed.

Sometime in 1993, Sr. Dulce Flores, a nun at St. Leo’s mission church in Solana Beach, and my wife Lucie were busy with plans to build a charity clinic. Sr. Dulce was particularly concerned about young mothers -- spouses of farm workers or migrant workers themselves -- who did not have the financial resources to seek prenatal consultation.

Many of these pregnant women, whether legal residents or undocumented workers, did not show up for their doctor’s appointment until they were in full labor and about to deliver their babies. Many times, they ended up in hospital delivery rooms with toxemia or other life-threatening obstetrical emergencies for both mothers and babies.

At a church related gathering one evening, at Harold and Ginger Gaulbert’s home, Sr. Dulce approached Lucie, who had a pediatrics practice in nearby La Jolla, to see if they could put their heads together and build a clinic, specifically to aid these poor mothers, but in general to serve the needs of poor families and their children.

One morning, while Sr. Dulce and Lucie were reviewing preliminary plans at St. Leo’s Church, a stranger knocked on the door. Slightly tall but of medium build, with brown hair and gentle eyes, the stranger had a kind and handsome face. He introduced himself as an architect. He had heard about their plans to build a clinic and he was more than happy to offer his services for free.

Lucie recalls thinking that was a bit strange. Very few, if anyone, had known of the project. But she quickly brushed away the thought. Short of funds, the project could use a pro bono architect. The stranger’s offer was timely and most welcome.

The architect asked Lucie and Sr. Dulce a few questions but he seemed to know exactly what they needed. He did not inquire too much detail about examining rooms, waiting room, or how big a storage space they needed, etc. They showed him the back section of St. Leo’s Mission Church, which the sponsoring parish of St. James in Solana Beach had set aside for the project. Local civic and religious organizations were getting together to raise funds and things were just starting to fall in place.

Several days later, the volunteer architect returned with rolls of blueprint. He showed Lucie and Sr. Dulce and a few other individuals in the room the beautiful blueprints he had designed for the clinic. Lucie remembers looking at the plans laid out neatly on the conference table but could not recall if the architect’s name was printed on them.

Soon, a cadre of volunteer engineers and workers started construction, faithfully following the architectural plans. The functional clinic was completed in a few weeks. Doctors, nurses, dentists, social workers, etc., volunteered to attend to patients on Saturdays. The clinic took off from day one.

When plans for an inaugural ceremony were set, Lucie and her staff put together an invitation list for the event and tried to contact the architect. It would be the proper time to formally thank him for his valuable contribution to the project.

Lucie vaguely remembered that the mysterious architect had introduced himself as Michael. However, she could not recall his last name. She scanned the phone directory and made several calls to local engineering and architectural firms. The clinic staff asked around but not a single parishioner knew who Michael was or where he lived or worked. He had appeared twice at St. Leo’s mission church and vanished!

When Lucie told me about it, I asked if she kept the rolls of blueprint the untraceable architect had left behind. She went to the clinic to look for them; others searched for the precious documents..….they were nowhere to be found.