Have you ever experienced the "odor of sanctity"?

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I am glad to come upon this thread! I thought I was crazy! I smell flowers out front of my house in the same place, near the front door, at various times throughout the year. I the spring I assumed it was just a flower that caught itself on a breeze. In summer, I thought it odd and started sniffing every plant (mostly ivy) in front of my house. I am sure my neighbors thought I was crazy! I never found the source of the smell… Then in the fall I smelled it while I was out running… On a rural road surrounded by corn and soybean fields, that had been harvested. It lasted for nearly half a mile! (I was reciting the rosary, as i often do when i am out running!) And then this winter I smelled it again near the front door in the same place! Again, I never found the source! My mother in law noticed it even… I haven’t paid much attention to the timing, because I thought perhaps I was imagining it for so long.
 
I never have. My daughter-in-law is a convert, and has never heard of that term “odor of sanctity.” Once we were talking and I mentioned how much I loved the smell of the chrism that was used to annoint during baptism. She looked at me a bit oddly and said she had smelled that odor several times in the years following the baptism of their third child sometimes when she would hug him.

Maybe he will be a priest someday!
 
I was on a Lourdes Pilgrimage a few weeks ago, with a small group from Church. During the week I had bouts of feeling sad, and really wanted to feel close to Our lady and Bernadette. on the last day, I took myself off to a quiet space opposite the Grotto, on the other side of the river, and prayed the Rosary with new Rosary beads I had bought in Lourdes. Whilst praying, I looked at Our Holy Mother, and , for a few moments had a feeling of peace along with a wonderful smell of roses. There was no one close to me, I was not wearing perfume, my rosary beads did not have a perfume…which lifted my spirits.
I told our priest about it, who told me it was the Odour of Sanctity. I had not heard of this before, but I would like to believe it was either St Bernadette or Our Lady letting me know they have heard my prayers. I have never experienced any ‘signs’ like this before.
 
I believe this happened to me this week-It was so strange that it sent me searching for answers. I live in an area where a tornado came through this week and did a lot of damage. Right before we had to go to our “safe place,” I started smelling fresh cut flowers. I had no air fresheners, candles, perfumes or windows open-It happened suddenly and I said to my husband “do you smell flowers?!” He said “no”… Then the smell wafted over too him and he was like “oh my, I smell them.” It then vanished. I’ve lived in this house 9 years and never smelled anything like this. we then went to the basement because of the tornado sirens and a tornado actually hit the road my house is on, but missed my house. we were trapped in the area with no power but safe and our house was safe. I just don’t know what to think of this-I’m a very rational person and this has shaken me… suggestions?
 
Depends on your point of view:

If you want the unedited version of the story clickity click click here.

Here’s the edited version:
So there I was, sitting in the church before Mass my freshman year when the scent of roses fills the church. I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from – there weren’t any flowers in the church. There wasn’t anything to explain the aroma. Eventually, I realize that one of the monks must be bathing in rosewater, because when I stand next to him, he’s about to knock me down with the fragrence.
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I mention this one day at lunch and some of the older seminarians fill me in on the story – supposedly the scent is from Mary. He’s been “blessed”. A few of the other stories are along the lines of “he’s so holy he only sleeps a few hours a day – he mediates all night”. “Mary appears to him in his cell.” That kind of stuff. I only had one interaction with him. I used to get the church 15 minutes before Mass and say a rosary. Well, he came up to me and asked if I would say one Hail Mary for him each day when I prayed my rosary. I said I sure would.
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These events occurred for about a semester my freshman year, and then the scent stopped. I asked around and the story was “The scent was causing too much division in the monastery, so he asked Mary to take it away, and she did.”
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A few years later, while talking to another seminarian, he complained that the investigation into the “miraculous events” was botched. Supposedly the Archdiocese of New Orleans wanted to send a priest to look into it, but he Abbot declined. The Abbot has absolute authority on monastery grounds and didn’t want the event investigated.
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Such is life in the seminary……
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Apparently there many of the monks though he was just dousing himself in rosewater just to draw attention to himself, but nobody ever proved it. Who knows?
 
I have smelled the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was the most heavenly smell and out of this world! I heard a bell (like they ring at mass during the consecration) and was forced to my knees and saw with the eyes of my soul a group of super happy angel baby heads carrying the Blessed Mother although I couldn’t get a look at Mary probably because I am full of sin. But that smell!!! and Her Majesty! I will NEVER forget! Embarrassed to admit she visited me to whack a devil out of me and never spoke a word to me. But boy is she awesome but tough and so powerful!

My son and I were in the car driving and we said a prayer to Pope John XXIII (Big Papa) and Jason got the beautiful odor. My son has also smelled Padre Pio. And my daughter Grace saw with eyes of her soul her Guardien Angel for apx. 10 months every night in her room. He would take big sword and drive it into the floor which all the unclean spirits in her room would be sucked down into the crack. Then when he withdrew the sword, the crack closed.
 
I quote from MNeary in Post 26"

“But boy is she awesome but tough and so powerful!”

I won’t go into detail, but based on my experience, this describes the Blessed Virgin perfectly. Sister Mary of Agreda also describes her appearance perfectly in the book The Mystical City of God.

I lived a sinful life until God gave me absolutely NO choice but to come as close to Him as I can. I am still far from perfect, still on that same life-long journey, and still get frustrated with myself at times. But I have made such tremendous progress…

I have smelled the Heavenly Scent more times than I can remember. But I still recall the first time: I was sitting in the church on a week day before Mass, with a statue of the Infant Christ of Prague, which I intended to have blessed after Mass. I did not know what in the world was happening, but I knew it was a gift from God. There were no fans or air circulators going, and no one else near me. The scent was so strong, it almost seemed alcoholic. One day at Mass during Lent in the first year of my sudden and desperate conversion as a returning Catholic, I felt what I can only describe as a “tender bolt of lightning from above”. When it hit, I could tell that the grip of sin upon me was significantly lessened.

Just today, I expressed remorse to my Spiritual Advisor over the life I lived until God “helped me find my way”. I am going through a dark night at present, and quoted someone from this forum who said, “We are the architects of our misery”. Here is what this wise and noble Priest said in response, with my name omitted:

“No time is wasted time and you would not be “who you are” if you did not go through what you have been through. God works through and uses for His good all of our past actions. Especially when we have turned back to Him later in life. Nothing is wasted in the hands of the Lord.”

Please pray for me.
 
MNeary said:
I have smelled the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was the most heavenly smell and out of this world! I heard a bell (like they ring at mass during the consecration) and was forced to my knees and saw with the eyes of my soul a group of super happy angel baby heads carrying the Blessed Mother although I couldn’t get a look at Mary probably because I am full of sin. But that smell!!! and Her Majesty! I will NEVER forget! Embarrassed to admit she visited me to whack a devil out of me and never spoke a word to me. But boy is she awesome but tough and so powerful!

My son and I were in the car driving and we said a prayer to Pope John XXIII (Big Papa) and Jason got the beautiful odor. My son has also smelled Padre Pio. And my daughter Grace saw with eyes of her soul her Guardien Angel for apx. 10 months every night in her room. He would take big sword and drive it into the floor which all the unclean spirits in her room would be sucked down into the crack. Then when he withdrew the sword, the crack closed.
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Awesome! Thanks for your testimony. 🙂
 
GEddie said:
I’ve smelled it, but not from a person, rather in the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.

What can I say except… Follow your noses???🙂

ICXC NIKA
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Interesting, thank you for sharing. This makes sense.
 
“No time is wasted time and you would not be “who you are” if you did not go through what you have been through. God works through and uses for His good all of our past actions. Especially when we have turned back to Him later in life. Nothing is wasted in the hands of the Lord.”

That is such a profound sentiment and I can’t wait to think it about it. Thank you. I will pray for you Vigilant.

I am interested in hearing that long story…
 
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