Padre Pio …. Give me a sign

Aure Caviggioli, an antique dealer from Monte Carlo, had been away from the church for a long time. One day he went to the Rome-Termini station and without knowing why, bought a ticket for Foggia. During the journey he dozed off and when he woke up he became aware of a strong perfume but could not identify its source.

On his arrival in Foggia , he took the bus for San Giovanni Rotunda and checked in at the hotel. Next morning, on his way to Padre Pio’s Mass, he was aware of the same perfume he had smelt on the train.

During the celebration he was fascinated by the priest’s presence. He wanted to get near but the crowd was dense. The next day, thanks to some brothers, he was able to get close to Padre Pio who asked him, “what do you want?” Caviggioli was embarrassed for a moment and then remembered that one of his grand-daughters, living in Switzerland had a brain tumour, so he recommended her to his prayers. Padre Pio advised him to go home because the child had been cured. The cure had in fact been immediate and complete, so much so that the doctors would not take their fees as they concluded that they had done nothing in this case.

This excited Caviggioli’s curiosity and he went back several times to San Giovanni Rotunda to meet Padre Pio and make his confession to him. But a certain fear held him back. Two years passed and he decided to make Padre Pio a gift of a painting of the Virgin Mary carrying the child Jesus, the work of a sixteenth century painter. A friend who came to look at it asked Caviggioli how much it was worth. He answered that it was worth millions! But during the night Padre Pio came to him in a dream and looking at him very severely said “What are you talking about ? you paid only 25,000 lira for that painting!” When he woke up , the antique dealer recalled that in fact that was the price he had paid for it to a Jew who had been deported during World War II.

When Caviggioli went to San Giovanni Rotunda he presented the painting to Padre Pio who asked him “what did you dream last night , you rogue ?” and burst out laughing.

However, even on this occasion Padre Pio would not hear his confession. Back in his hotel, alone and looking at the monastery he cried out “Listen Padre Pio, give me a sign that I may know when to come to confession” To his utter amazement, he had hardly finished the sentence when Padre Pio appeared before him, took him by the hand and then disappeared. Caviggioli was filled with fear and quite stunned by this. Next day the priest heard his confession and apologized for having scared him by appearing at his hotel !