As a volunteer for the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP), I have been privileged to hear testimonies of many miraculous interventions of grace in the lives of countless souls.

One such miracle happened for the benefit of a close friend Mr. Jose Arturo Maestas who runs Santa Fe Coffee & Burrito Co., in Longmont, Colorado. The small café is a very popular spot among the locals.

Arturo, the name he goes by, was always very devoted to Saint Joseph. Indeed, he carried with him everywhere a small and tastefully done statue of Saint Joseph holding the Child Jesus asleep in his arms. So on the day the miracle took place, he had in his possession this wonderful statue.

He recounts that it was not your ordinary day. Business seemed strangely slow. When the first patrons had finished their meals, the customary line forming at the door of new customers awaiting their turn had not yet materialized.

Arturo began to wonder what was different about this day and went outside to try to get a sense for what might account for it. It was quieter than usual. There were no cars anywhere. My friend doesn’t own a “smartphone” nor was the radio turned on that morning. Had he been connected, he might have been informed of the emergency flash flood warning for his area and an evacuation order.

Going outside a second time, he saw the railroad warning lights flashing, but no train. Looking down the road in the opposite direction, my friend discovered the mystery behind the unusual beginning of that day and the impending danger. Water was flooding into the road from a swollen river and was heading in the direction of his restaurant.

In all haste, Arturo went inside to warn his employees, telling them to leave immediately. As he was locking the front door, water was already making its way in. Turning to Saint Joseph, he placed his statue on an inverted bowl resting on the floor near the front entrance and promised Saint Joseph that he would put his statue in a prominent place if he saved his restaurant.

Three days later, when the flood waters receded, business owners were allowed back into the neighborhood to assess damages. The business next door to Arturo’s restaurant was gutted. The high levels of flood water had breached the premises and swept merchandise from the shelves. Even as my friend approached his restaurant, he could clearly see the floodwater mark on the outside wall at nearly 3 feet.

After navigating the mud and debris deposited in his parking lot, Arturo went inside with trepidation, only to find—to his amazement—that Saint Joseph had responded to his prayer with what could only be deemed a miracle. Arturo’s entire restaurant was spared and bone dry, and the beautiful red carpet in the main dining area just behind where Saint Joseph’s statue stood during the flood was just as he had left it.

Reporters on the scene could not believe their eyes, and soon the miracle was reported in local newspapers and televised. True to his promise, Arturo put the statue in a prominent place for all to see. He told me that, even long after this providential intervention, people of all walks of life—even Protestants—ask to see the statue of Saint Joseph that saved his restaurant.