The most amazing case of Padre Pio’s intercession?




The case of Gemma di Giorgi baffles doctors.  Born in the Sicilian town of Ribera on Christmas day, 1939,  her mother noted that Gemma seemed different to other children.

Looking into the eyes of her little girl, Gemma’s mother noticed that her eyes seemed abnormal and malformed.  Gemma’s mother took her to doctor after doctor, and they diagnosed that she had no pupils, and that there was no medicines or surgery that would cure her.  Her parents concluded that they would have to pray for a miracle, they had a relation who was a nun and she recommended that they get in touch with Padre Pio. Gemma’s grandmother entreated the nun to send a letter to Padre Pio on behalf of her blind granddaughter. 

After sending the letter, the nun had a dream where Padre Pio appeared to her and asked her, "where is Gemma for whom so many prayers are being offered that they are almost deafening?" 

In the dream, the nun presented Gemma to Padre Pio and he made the sign of the cross over her eyes. The very next day, a letter arrived from Padre Pio. He wrote, "Dear daughter, rest assured that I will pray for Gemma. I send you my best wishes."
The ‘coincidence’ of the dream and the letter coming one after the other – stunned the nun who contacted Gemma’s family and persuaded them to take Gemma to see Padre Pio.

It was not a very easy trip to go from Sicily to San Giovanni in those days. We should remember, at this point in the story, that it was the 1940s, and Italy had not yet recovered from the wreckage  done to the infrastructure during World War II. 

In 1947, Gemma and her grandmother set off for San Giovanni Rotondo. Gemma was 7 at the time.  While they were on the way, mysteriously, inexplicably and unexpectedly, Gemma began to see…she could see the sea and a ship. When she told her grandmother, she took this as a sign and began to pray. 

A miracle had clearly taken place, but Gemma’s grandmother was still under the impression that they needed to ask Padre Pio’s intercession, and to do so in person. When their journey ended and they reached San Giovanni Rotondo, Padre Pio saw Gemma approach, and said hello to her.  He had never been introduced in ‘real life’ to Gemma, but knew who she was, the minute he clapped eyes on her. 

The little seven-year-old Gemma entered the dark confines of Padre Pio’s confessional. Contrary to her grandmother’s wishes, Gemma never said anything of her eyes to Padre Pio, but he touched her eyes with the bloody part of his hand, and drew the sign of the cross on her. 

Gemma’s grandmother was disappointed and emotional that Gemma had neglected to ask of Padre Pio a grace for healing her eyes.  Tears streamed down her face, and so she went to confession to Padre Pio, and asked him to intercede on Gemma's behalf and said, "I asked the grace for Gemma and I told Padre Pio that Gemma was weeping because, in her confession with him she had forgotten to ask this grace. I will never forget his soft and tender voice as he answered me with these words, "Do you have faith, my daughter? The child must not weep and neither must you for the child sees, and you know she sees." I understood then that Padre Pio was alluding to the sea and the ship Gemma had seen during the trip and that God had used Padre Pio to break through the darkness that covered Gemma's eyes." 

If you liked this post, you might like, Writing about Padre Pio, how it influences real life. 

That same day, Padre Pio gave Gemma her first Holy Communion and (again) he made the sign of the cross over each of her eyes.

Comments

  1. Thank you for this very uplifting account. Unfortunately I cannot understand what is meant by the claim that the child "had no pupils". As I understand it, the pupil consists of the aperture or opening which is surrounded by the iris- the size of the pupil being determined by the expansion or contraction of the iris.To say that there were no pupils sounds rather like the assertion of a double negative like "there was no nothing". Are we discussing cataracts here or something else?

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    1. Hi Patricius,

      I read your comment twice - I get your point.

      A friend of mine first told me the story of Gemma di Giorgi and said that her eyes 'had no opening in the middle to let light in'. So, to answer your question, Gemma had no aperture in the middle of the iris, so the iris did not contract or expand. When people looked at the little girl, they saw a girl who had 'no black dot in the middle of her eye' or 'no pupil'. But, despite her physiological disabilities, she was able to see after going to visit Padre Pio, but throughout her life, her eyes have remained the same, with no 'opening' in the middle of them.

      I hope that helps some little bit.

      I don't think that Gemma had cataracts when she was a little girl - I have not read it in any of the accounts online or in books. But if I find mention, then I'll post it.

      God bless you and yours,

      Mary

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    2. Thanks very much. You have explained it perfectly as far as I am concerned. I am sorry if I appeared somewhat obtuse but, as an artist, I have a particular interest in the eye.

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    3. Ah, great news to hear you are an artist!

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  2. This is one of the most wonderful stories ever told! Outside of the miracle of the conception and birth of Jesus Christ!

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  3. I truly believe this miracle as I have had my own through Padre Pio in 2001 after he appeared to me three different times in what appeared to be lucid dreams I discovered later. I am an artist and painted his vision as I saw him. Shortly after in the mail came a pack of holy cards and he was on the top. After looking him up and going to Barto, PA to his chapel and during mass having his glove (enclosed) on my chest where I had 3rd stage cancer and a bad immune system, and our family praying to St. Pio, it's 13 years next month from surgeries and heavy treatment that I have survived. Thank you for sharing your story. Gippy

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  4. St. Padre Pio, pray for my family.

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  5. Padre Pio pray for my mam's eyesight to be restored to good help.Thankyou.

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  6. Padre Pio please pray for my mam's eyesight to be restored to good health.Thankyou

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  7. pray for me padre pio that I have strength

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  8. Dear Padre Pio, help all in my family to find Jesus in their lives so we may spend eternity with him. Thank you .

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  9. please pray for me Padre Pio. you already know.

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  10. Dear Padre Pio, please pray and help my daughter be healed both spiritually and physically; and if it is God's will that our whole family be healed spiritually and physically. Thank you so much.

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  11. St. Padre Pio thank you for your intercession in ending Dianne's suffering. And sendig the message from her with the card of you. Please pray if you will to correct my vision it is blurry at times and for my increase of Faith and take away my unbeliefs in jesus Name I ask you. Amen

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  12. Padre Pio, please pray for all the suffering Children of the world. Autsim, Vaccine Injuries, slavery, abuse....Like Pope Francis said yesterday, we must cherish the old and children.

    Amen

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  13. Please admin can you sende the soft copies of padre pio's prayers .I have been searching dearly for them .my email is umeezeokeemeka@live.com. Thank you for sharing all the miracles performed through his intercession ..Kopuskristi

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  14. Just found you today. THANK YOU so very very much!

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  15. Padre Pio,
    Please pray that my son's vision is restored and my other son will believe.

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  16. Padre Pio, please heal my wife with God's blessing.

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  17. Blessed Padre Pio please cure my son of epilepsy 🙏

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  18. My daughter was named after Gemma Di Giorgi. My Gemma is now 23 and is losing her eyesight from her type one diabetes. Please pray for her.

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