Gabriel Michael Santorum and his Father’s Quest for the Presidency

In 1996, I was the president of a small Catholic media company when I received a call from an associate who worked for a prominent Evangelical publisher. The publisher was working with then Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and his wife, Karen, on a manuscript that told the story of the loss of their fourth child, Gabriel Michael, who lived just two hours after his birth. Since the Santorums were devout Catholics he felt the book might be better suited with a Catholic publisher and asked if I would be interested in meeting with the Senator and his wife to discuss the possibility.

Although I had never met the Santorums, I felt a certain kinship to Rick because we are both native Pennsylvanians, and we both grew up in the same small blue collar town of Butler, Pa. We even attended the same Catholic grammar school and public high school. We also shared a common Italian working class background with both our grandfathers toiling in the local coal mines while his father held a position with the area’s Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and my dad was employed at the local Montgomery Ward. Needless to say, I was looking forward to meeting with the Senator and a few days later found myself in his Capitol Hill Senatorial office discussing the book with him and his lovely wife, Karen.

I immediately liked the Santorums and was impressed with them on many levels. Our subsequent meetings resulted in moving forward with the project which gave me the unique opportunity to get to know them on a personal level, as they shared with me their touching story of loss, love and family.

As we began the publishing process I learned some of the background surrounding their story. Letters to Gabriel is a series of letters Karen wrote to her unborn son, Gabriel Michael both during her pregnancy, and after the “many sleepless nights” that came after his death. She never intended these letters to be published but she was encouraged to do so by friends and relatives. Karen ultimately felt that by sharing her family’s grief and how they responded to it other parents facing similar heart-wrenching circumstances might find comfort.

Karen wrote the first letter to her son on the day she learned that she was expecting, and expressed her joy that, “a child is on the way, there can be no better news!” Her heartfelt letters continued through doctor visits, sonograms and the sharing of family joy during what appeared to be a healthy pregnancy. This also corresponded to the same time period when her husband was leading the national fight against partial birth abortion on the Senate Floor.

Their joy turned suddenly tragic when nearly five months into the pregnancy a series of test showed that their baby had a serious defect which almost always proves fatal. Upon hearing the dire prognosis Karen and Rick accessed the finest medical professionals and treatment in the country in a desperate attempt to save their baby’s life. Karen’s immediate family includes several physicians, and she is a nurse who worked for years in a neonatal intensive care unit caring for premature and very sick infants. Her father is a nationally recognized expert in the application of genetics within the practice of medicine and Karen’s sister is a pediatrician. The dramatic and moving letters to her unborn son chronicle this period of time as the family sought out medical treatment while turning to God in prayer for hope.

It was during these critical moments that the Santorums decided to name their unborn son after two great Archangels of God. Their deep Catholic faith brought them comfort as all efforts to save their baby failed and when little Gabriel was born October 11th of 1996, he died two hours later in his father’s arms, but not before his father baptized him.

Watching the senator stage his dramatic political comeback in Iowa last week brought a huge smile to my face. The next day that smile turned to shock as I heard the hurtful, inappropriate and over the top comments of Fox News contributor, Alan Comes concerning the Santorums' tragic loss of their son. He charged that they “took the baby home, after living for only two hours, and played with it for a couple of hours so his other children would know that the child was real." Seeing both Karen and Rick struggle to fight back their tears as they were questioned about his comments I couldn’t help but remember the beautiful photos they shared with me showing the precious two hours they had with little Gabriel.

Shortly after the book was published the Santorums were our special guests at the 1997 CMN Trade Show that was held in Philadelphia and featured a keynote speech by Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua. At the time, His Eminence headed the Philadelphia Archdiocese, and he had provided ongoing comfort to Karen and Rick during their loss. After little Gabriel died, he was one of the first people to call and offer his condolences and the Archbishop’s words provided them with much comfort and strength. His Eminence told the grieving parents, “Your baby is in Heaven. He is now a saint-don’t pray for Gabriel-pray to him to intercede on your behalf with our Heavenly Father.”

In his address at our CMN gathering, Cardinal Bevilacqua repeated these words, and he recognized Letters to Gabriel as a book that is an “extraordinary tribute to the sanctity of life.” He extolled the Santorums for their “exemplary courage and commitment to family.”

Some of the many wonderful experiences I had while working on this book were obtaining jacket endorsements from Charlton Heston, Gary Bauer, Cal Thomas and George Will and we also were privileged to have Dr. Laura Schlessinger write the introduction. However, one of the greatest joys that came from the project was the incredible blessing of having Mother Teresa of Calcutta write the foreword. In her forward, Blessed Mother Teresa mirrored Cardinal Bevilacqua’s comments when she said, “May God bless Richard and Karen Santorum, the parents of little Gabriel, and console them with the knowledge that their son is in Heaven with God.”

Working with the Santorums on the release and marketing of this beautiful book, I have experienced first-hand the character, courage and virtue of this amazing couple. Little wonder, so many good people of Iowa want to see them in the White House.

I have no idea how Senator Santorum is going to do in New Hampshire tomorrow, or how he will ultimately fare in his ongoing quest for the highest office in the land, but with his son a saint in Heaven pulling for him…who knows?

Next Up. Just how big is the Catholic “market?”