ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (WJXT) – A Florida priest who is preparing to return to the pulpit says divine help saved him from a nearly fatal stabbing attack last month.
Matt Marino, a pastor with the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, says he was having coffee and talking with a woman, identified as 22-year-old Ariena Gibbs, when she allegedly pulled out a rusty knife and stabbed him in the chest. He’s still recovering after the Oct. 23 attack in St. Augustine but is now making plans to return to the pulpit.
“It’s the most surprising moment,” Marino said. “I think what she said was, ‘I have problems.’ When you tell a pastor that, our first response is always, ‘Well, tell us your story.’ So, I was kind of leaning forward, and she leans forward, pulls out this rusty knife and sticks it in and pulls it out. I’m thinking, ‘That feels like it went in a really long way.’”
Marino says in the moments after he was stabbed, he made a deal with God that would allow him to live and walk his daughter down the aisle.
“She hit my lung and pulmonary artery,” he said of the attack. “I was laying there on the ground, having a conversation with God: ‘Gosh, I’d really rather… How about not today, Lord? And I felt like the Lord said yes.”
The attack left Marino with a broken rib, a stab wound and an infection. He lost a lot of blood and had to be taken to the hospital, but he says he survived with help from the divine.
“The one guy in the county that happens to have a combat chest seal. There’s an officer for Customs and Border Control [who] has personally upgraded his first aid program. He just happens to be driving the long way to work, sees me, pulls over, slaps that on and saves my life,” Marino said.
Gibbs was arrested for the stabbing and charged with attempted second-degree murder. She is being held without bond.
Marino says his focus wasn’t to tell a negative story, and it wasn’t to shame the suspect. He says he is instead focused on getting back to his church and delivering a most important message.
“Forgiveness is available. Enjoy your forgiveness. God forgives you utterly in Jesus Christ,” he said.
Marino also thanks all the first responders who helped him.
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