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by Graziella Denunzio Mandato (Author)
A saint within living memory, Padre Pio touched the lives of many by the simple faith with which he lived his life, praying, offering Mass, and reading souls. Among those inspired by the saint, Graziella DeNunzio Mandato was given the grace of living in San Giovanni Rotondo and receiving daily Communion and frequent confession from Padre Pio's pierced hands.
In these pages, Graziella's firsthand account recalls Padre Pio's blessing on her marriage, the day her oldest two sons received their First Communion from his hands, and the fruits of his intercession before God for the family's immigration to America. Padre Pio adopted Graziella as a spiritual daughter, guiding her and interceding for her for the entirety of her life. While Graziella remained close to him in Italy, she attended his Masses, marveling at the mystical experiences the Padre underwent throughout its various prayers. Even after her marriage and move to America, Padre Pio visited his spiritual daughter through dreams and a remarkable fragrance of sanctity.
In this publication of Graziella's memoirs, her sons have compiled additional chapters reflecting on their mother's last earthly days and the spiritual fatherhood of Padre Pio. A treasury of personal encounters with Padre Pio and a wealth of insight into the vibrant spirituality of an extraordinary saint, Graziella's newly expanded memoirs will lead readers to a more profound love of the Padre with a deep and abiding love for his children.
Author Biography
Graziella De Nunzio Mandato was born in Italy in the village of Pietrelcina, in 1930, the same hometown of St. Padre Pio. She grew up in an environment and a culture that was saturated by a vibrant Catholic Faith that expressed great devotion and love for the Lord Jesus, for Our Lady, and for the Catholic Church. Padre Pio, himself, was reared in this faith culture of simple poor peasants. Graziella along with family members were able to get rather close and intimate with San Pio while he lived in San Giovanni Rotondo. He guided her and led her throughout her life. After marrying Andre, in 1955, at Padre Pio's counsel, they eventually emigrated to the U.S.A. and raised a Christian family. Graziella and Andre died six months apart in 2014.
