My father, Sylvester Gentile had a brilliant mind and worked in the field of electrical engineering. He was a published author and the book that he wrote was a best-seller in the world of engineering and was translated into several languages. He was a good man and he was very kind but he was not religious. He felt that religion was something for women who needed emotional comfort. Personally, he had no use for religion.

After my mother died at the young age of 52 years, my father fell into a depression. I gave him two books on Padre Pio which he read with interest. My father knew that Padre Pio’s stigmata as well as the miracles that surrounded his life, were scientifically inexplicable. That fact convinced him of the existence of God. The graces that my father received after reading the books on Padre Pio caused him to return to Mass after an absence of 30 years. He began to attend Mass regularly at St. Dorothea’s parish in Eatontown, New Jersey. My father then joined the Catholic prayer group that I belonged to. On one occasion, he gave a full presentation at our prayer group on Padre Pio, sharing many stories about his life as well as the scientific studies of his stigmata. It makes sense that God would use science to attract my father and bring him back to the faith!

– Pat Hulick