I visited the friary of Our Lady of Grace in San Giovanni Rotondo and attended Padre Pio’s Mass. I asked one of the seminary students at the monastery to show me Padre Pio’s cell. The boy kindly lead me to it. Standing in front of his cell, I was struck by a breeze that had a delicious and continuous perfume which gave me such spiritual joy that I did not want to leave. I called other people who were nearby and they all experienced the same phenomenon. To be more certain, I repeated the experiment with the doors of other cells but I smelled no perfume.

At confession as well as during Padre Pio’s Mass, one had the impression of being in the presence of someone who is not of this world. A great force of sanctity emanated from his whole person and it carried away those present, filling them with holy thoughts and devout contemplation.

– Gennaro Cascavilla