He went through a horrific event.
An Episcopal priest in Florida, the Rev. Matthew Marino, recently discussed a harrowing incident in which he was stabbed in the chest by a woman outside a café. Marino, rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in St. Augustine, was attacked on October 23 while waiting with a friend for a café to open. The woman approached him, told him she had problems, and then unexpectedly stabbed him with a knife.
In an interview with First Coast News, Marino recounted the shocking moment when he realized he had been stabbed. “I just looked down and said, ‘Hey, you just stabbed me,'” he said, initially unsure of the extent of his injury. However, after coughing up blood and feeling blood dripping down his leg, he quickly realized the severity of the situation. He then made the decision to lie down to avoid losing consciousness, fearing that he was losing blood quickly.
As he lay on the ground, Marino remembered feeling strangely detached from the reality of the situation. “This is a really, really weird way to die,” he thought, joking about his concern for upcoming meetings as he bled. He also felt a sense of resolve, praying that he wouldn’t die in such a senseless manner. Marino later believed he had received a spiritual response, feeling as though the Lord had acknowledged his plea.
The attack caused significant injuries, including a punctured lung, but Marino survived. He was treated in the hospital and released on October 29. Authorities quickly arrested 22-year-old Arieana R. Gibbs, who was charged with attempted homicide and other offenses. At her arraignment on November 7, Gibbs pleaded not guilty. A judge had denied her bond, citing the seriousness of the charges and the potential danger she posed.
The random nature of the attack shocked both the local community and Marino’s colleagues. Fellow Trinity Church priest Father Caleb Jones described the event as “completely random” and noted that the attacker was someone unknown to their church community.