He attended Manhattan College,in NYC, for both prep school and college, graduating in 1948. One morning he came in to church a little early to get ready, and he was surprised to see a priest already there. He helped him prepare for mass, and when all was ready, the priest held out his ring, and Dad kissed it. When mass was over, the nuns, who were in attendance, and had watched the whole thing, came excitiedly over to him and told him that that was Padre Pio.
After his death, cleaning out his apartment, I came across many faded articles and clippings of Padre Pio among his papers.
My father in law was an upstanding citizen, a man of God, and integrity, and not given to hyperbole, or drama. He told this family story only a few times, but it was well known by the family, and he never waivered from its details.
I believe every word of it. Padre Pio received extraordinary gifts from God.
The wounds in his hands gave off an extraordinary perfume. It was described to me by a Priest who met Pio (and of course Pio’s wounds and the perfume thereof have been described by many other witnesses).