Catholics Pray for Speaker’s 5-Year Old Son Now On Life Support, Calling on Venerable Fulton Sheen
Catholics worldwide are praying for 5-year-old Micah Kim, son of Catholic speaker Paul Kim, who suffered a medical emergency. Micah has been on life support for six days following the emergency. There is a glimmer of hope as Micah survived a dangerous heart procedure and is expected to be taken off life support today. The family is also invoking the prayers of Venerable Fulton Sheen.
2 months ago
Paul Kim, a prominent Catholic speaker, comedian, and father of six, announced on December 22, 2025, that his 5-year-old son Micah suffered a severe medical emergency requiring life support.1
Initially, Micah showed no brain activity, prompting the family to seek a miracle through prayer.1
Micah received the anointing of the sick on December 23 at 3 p.m., coinciding with Divine Mercy timing.1
On Christmas Eve, he underwent successful heart surgery that stopped internal bleeding and improved heart function.1
As of December 26 (Day 6), doctors planned to remove life support after noting further heart improvements.1
The Kim family invoked Venerable Fulton Sheen and urged Catholics worldwide to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet.1
Priests administered sacraments bedside, with photos showing them praying over Micah amid St. Michael prayer cards.1
Hundreds of thousands responded to Kim's social media pleas, offering prayers, vigils, and support.1
Kim expressed gratitude, noting the Body of Christ's solidarity amid profound suffering.1
Kim described the ordeal as the heaviest cross yet, yet upheld by grace and community prayers.1
He shared videos emphasizing hope in Christ, urging families to cherish moments, and surrendering to the "Divine Physician."1
Kim is endorsed by figures like Chris Stefanick, Leah Darrow, Jason Evert, and Bishop James Wall for drawing people to Christ.1
His platform amplifies Catholic issues, including parenting and faith.1
The story highlights priests' availability in crises and prayer's power during Christmas.1
Kim views Micah's trial as glorifying God, calling Catholics to share burdens.1
Examine Catholic prayer practices for children in medical crises
Catholic tradition offers a rich array of prayer practices tailored to support children facing medical crises, emphasizing both sacramental graces and non-sacramental blessings to invoke God's healing mercy. These practices, rooted in Scripture, liturgy, and magisterial teachings, unite the child's suffering with Christ's Passion while fostering hope, strength, and spiritual accompaniment for the family. Central to this is the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick for children who have reached the use of reason and are in danger of death from illness, alongside blessings, intercessory prayers, and pastoral care that extend to even the youngest patients.
The Church teaches that the Anointing of the Sick is not reserved solely for those at the point of death but should be administered as soon as a faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, conferring special grace to unite the sick person to Christ's Passion, strengthen them amid suffering, forgive sins, restore health if salutary, and prepare for eternal life. This sacrament applies to children who have attained the use of reason sufficient to sin, even venially, and face grave illness involving probable danger of death.
Explicit norms confirm that "pueris etiam sacra Unctio eo iam tempore ministrari potest, cum talem habent usum rationis, ut hoc sacramento confortari possint" (the sacred Anointing can also be administered to children at the time when they have such use of reason that they can be strengthened by this sacrament). Canon law reinforces this: the anointing may be given to a member of the faithful who, having reached the use of reason, is in danger due to sickness, and it can be repeated if the condition worsens or after recovery followed by relapse. For children who lose consciousness or reason, the sacrament may still be conferred if there is reason to believe they would have requested it while compos mentis, reflecting pastoral sensitivity to their prior disposition.
The rite involves anointing the forehead and hands (Roman Rite) with prayers invoking God's grace, emphasizing faith as the channel of salvation: "infirmum enim salvabit fides eius et Ecclesia" (the faith of the sick person and the Church will save the sick person). Pre-surgery anointing is also permitted if the procedure stems from dangerous illness. These provisions underscore the Church's view of grave pediatric illness—beyond mere chronological age—as warranting this sacrament, always with prudent judgment, free of anxiety, and in consultation with medical advice where possible.
Beyond sacraments, the Church provides liturgical blessings specifically for ill children, invoking divine consolation and healing. The Book of Blessings (De Benedictionibus) includes formularies for blessing sick children, where a priest or deacon imposes hands and prays: "Dómine, Deus noster, cuius Fílius Jesus Christus púeros libénter suscépit et benedíxit, super hos fámulos tuos (N. et N.) in ténera ætáte languéntes, déxteram tuam benígnus exténde..." (Lord our God, whose Son Jesus Christ freely received and blessed children, graciously extend your right hand over these servants of yours... languishing in tender age, that recovering the vigor of health...). Laypersons, such as parents, may also bless a sick child with the sign of the cross on the forehead, using prayers like "Pater misericordiárum et Deus totíus consolatiónis..." (Father of mercies and God of all consolation...).
The Instruction on Prayers for Healing affirms that prayers for the sick's restoration—liturgical or non-liturgical—are integral to Church life, excluding introduction into Mass or sacraments but allowable in general intercessions or dedicated rites like the Ordo benedictionis infirmorum. These include specific prayers for children's healing in the Rituale Romanum, encouraging natural remedies alongside prayer without excluding them. Eastern rites similarly invoke Christ as healer during anointing prayers adaptable for youth.
Popular piety complements this, as the Church blesses children from birth, through naming, school entry, and illness, viewing sickness as a moment for communal prayer and charity. For prenatal or pediatric cases, spiritual care—prayer by family and caregivers—holds supernatural value, deepening affective bonds without justifying any shortening of life.
Pastoral care urges facilitating priests for anointing responsive to the child's condition and desires, prioritizing full consciousness but extending conditionally otherwise. Families are catechized to seek anointing promptly with faith, avoiding procrastination, while caregivers are educated on its nature. In crises like potential euthanasia requests, accompaniment invites conversion through explanation and nearness, though without complicity in immoral acts.
The liturgy itself pulses with mercy: invocations like "Lord have mercy" lead to absolution and health petitions in collects, Masses for the sick (pro infirmis), and oil blessings seeking bodily, spiritual healing. This framework harmonizes with devotions like Divine Mercy or the Rosary, provided they do not overshadow sacraments or induce guilt for non-recitation.
Even for those without full sacramental eligibility (e.g., pre-reason infants), the Church's maternal embrace through blessings and intercessions persists, as sickness unites to Christ and purifies spiritually.
In summary, Catholic prayer for children in medical crises integrates sacramental anointing for those with reason in peril , targeted blessings, healing intercessions, and familial-spiritual accompaniment , all drawing from Christ's healing ministry to foster faith, endurance, and hope amid suffering.