We were both saddened at the thought of leaving Pietrelcina as the naturalness of the place struck a chord in the depth of our beings. I said this to Bro. Lawrence who replied with a chuckle, “You will return here many times.” How right he was. 24 years later, we bought a little house there and visit often. More of this later. My wife has since created a website ‘visitpietrelcina.com’
When the group returned to Dover, Ursula and the boys as well as myself, were invited to stay overnight with Stella and Tony Lilley in Whitstable, Kent.
Fr. Alexander McCabe also joined us at Stella’s. When we arrived at Dover, the two elderly people who stayed in the room next to ours in San Giovanni, came up to us to say goodbye and wish us well. During our stay in the hotel, the boys would come rushing into our room in the morning and make an incredible racket. Being aware of the two next door, I had prayed, “Lord let them not hear the boys. May the Holy Angels keep the situation under control.”
I was amazed when these two lovely people remarked on how wonderful it was to have us next door to them as they joined our family in saying the rosary when they heard us saying it every morning. The angels must have been hard at work bless them since it was hard enough work to keep everyone quiet and certainly, we were not saying the rosary.
Another event that comes to mind. Tom and I were walking in the corridor of the Parca Della Rosa hotel when we smelt this powerful sweet smell of roses. Having heard that the odour of Sanctity surrounding Padre Pio usually gave off a smell of roses, I investigated the hallway to see if there were any vases with flowers. To no avail, the smell grew stronger and stronger and suddenly faded away. No flowers were to be found. Praise God.
The whole experience in the hotel was extremely enjoyable and we, in the few days there, often sat around the pool in the evening listening to Neapolitan songs and musicians. A glorious, prayerful time with moments of relaxation.