Three stories about Padre Pio that testify to his holiness

In the garden of the convent there were cypresses, fruit trees and some solitary pine trees. In the shade of them, in the summer, Padre Pio, in the evening hours, used to stop with friends and a few visitors, for a little refreshment. One day, while the Father was conversing with a group of people, many birds, who stood on the highest branches of the trees, suddenly began to fidget, to emit peeps, warps, whistles and trills. Battlements, sparrows, goldfinches and other varieties of birds raised a singing symphony. That song, however, soon annoyed Padre Pio, who raised his eyes to heaven and brought his index finger to his lips, intimated the silence with a determined: "Enough is enough!" The birds, crickets and cicadas immediately made absolute silence. Those present were all deeply amazed. Padre Pio, like San Francesco, had spoken to birds.

A gentleman recounts: “My mother, from Foggia, who was one of Padre Pio's first spiritual daughters, never failed to ask him to protect my father in order to convert him in his meetings with revered cappuccino. In April 1945 my father was to be shot. He was already in front of the firing squad when he saw Padre Pio in front of him, with his arms raised, in the act of protecting him. The platoon commander gave orders to fire, but from the rifles pointed at my father, the shots did not start. The seven components of the firing squad and the commander himself, astonished, checked the weapons: no anomaly. The platoon aimed the rifles again. For the second time the commander gave the order to shoot. And for the second time the rifles refused to work. The mysterious and inexplicable fact led to the suspension of the execution. Later, my father was pardoned, also in consideration of being mutilated by war and highly decorated. My father returned to the Catholic faith and received the sacraments in San Giovanni Rotondo, where he had gone to thank Padre Pio. My mother thus obtained the grace she had always asked of Padre Pio: the conversion of her consort.

Father Onorato said: - “I went to San Giovanni Rotondo with a friend with a Vespa 125. I arrived at the convent just before lunch. Entering the refectory, after having respected the superior, I went to kiss Padre Pio's hand. "Guaglio," he said smartly, "did the wasp pinch you?" (Padre Pio knew which means of transport I had used). The following morning with the wasp, we leave for San Michele. Halfway there ran out of gas, we put the reserve and promised to fill up on Monte Sant'Angelo. Once in town, the bad surprise: the distributors were not open. We also decided to leave to return to San Giovanni Rotondo with the hope of meeting someone to get some fuel from. I was especially sorry for the thin figure I would have done with the confreres who were waiting for me for lunch. After a few kilometers the engine started crackling and stopped. We looked inside the tank: empty. With bitterness I pointed out to my friend that there were ten minutes left before lunchtime. A little for the anger and a little to show me solidarity my friend gave a blow to the ignition pedal. The wasp started immediately. Without asking how and why, we left "fired". Upon reaching the convent square, the Vespa stopped: the engine preceded by the usual crackling stopped. We opened the tank, it was dry as before. We looked at the clocks in amazement and were even more stunned: there were five minutes to lunch. In five minutes they had covered fifteen kilometers. Average: one hundred and eighty kilometers per hour. Without petrol! I entered the convent while the confreres went down for lunch. I went to meet Padre Pio who looked at me and smiled ....