Have you ever experienced the "odor of sanctity"?

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This happened to my devout aunt as she was dying recently. Two friends from her church came to the hospice and prayed over her as she was dying of cancer. As the ladies were praying, both of them suddenly became aware that a strong perfume filled the air. They simultaneously turned to each other and said, “do you smell that?” They went into the hallway to see if anyone passed by, or if there was anything that would give off an odor. There was no one and nothing in the hall. They thought the odor was like orange blossoms.

Padre Pio had this odor. I am friends with a woman who had an aunt (now deceased) who saw Padre Pio back in the 50’s or 60’s. She attended mass with him officiating. That night, when she was in her hotel room, she had a dream that Padre Pio visited her. When she awoke, that same odor filled the room. She was so amazed, she converted to the Catholic church (she was Lutheran). Have any of you any personal experience with these supernatural odors?
 
Actually, I have smelled it before too. But in this case, I got a Rosary from EWTN that was shipped with Lourdes Water (which obviously doesn’t smell like really nice, heavenly flowers). But then as I was praying the Rosary, the Lourdes Water inside started giving off the scent of sanctity, and eventually, I went to one of my priests who did a smell-comparison test with a regular bottle of Lourdes Water.

He confirmed it. :heaven:

And I could go on (I’ve also had a case of a photo of Padre Pio doing that to me too), but this case best illustrates the point.
 
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
 
My grandmother has experienced the odor of sanctity with Padre Pio.
 
ParvaDei said:
Actually, I have smelled it before too. But in this case, I got a Rosary from EWTN that was shipped with Lourdes Water (which obviously doesn’t smell like really nice, heavenly flowers). But then as I was praying the Rosary, the Lourdes Water inside started giving off the scent of sanctity, and eventually, I went to one of my priests who did a smell-comparison test with a regular bottle of Lourdes Water.

He confirmed it. :heaven:

And I could go on (I’ve also had a case of a photo of Padre Pio doing that to me too), but this case best illustrates the point.
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Awesome! Do you still have the water? Does it still smell like that? 🙂
 
boomerang said:
Awesome! Do you still have the water? Does it still smell like that? 🙂
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Actually, yes I do, and it still does smell like that on occasion (mind you, the water is inside the Rosary itself in a watertight glass container where the “Salve Regina” piece is supposed to be, so it’s not up for distribution or anything – lol :D). But it’s nice to still know that God and Mary are watching over our backs and protecting us. :knight2:
 
boomerang said:
This happened to my devout aunt as she was dying recently. Two friends from her church came to the hospice and prayed over her as she was dying of cancer. As the ladies were praying, both of them suddenly became aware that a strong perfume filled the air. They simultaneously turned to each other and said, “do you smell that?” They went into the hallway to see if anyone passed by, or if there was anything that would give off an odor. There was no one and nothing in the hall. They thought the odor was like orange blossoms.

Padre Pio had this odor. I am friends with a woman who had an aunt (now deceased) who saw Padre Pio back in the 50’s or 60’s. She attended mass with him officiating. That night, when she was in her hotel room, she had a dream that Padre Pio visited her. When she awoke, that same odor filled the room. She was so amazed, she converted to the Catholic church (she was Lutheran). Have any of you any personal experience with these supernatural odors?
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That is an absolutely awesome story. It’s so cool to see how the saints and church fathers still touch our lives in a very real and profound way.
 
boomerang said:
Padre Pio is amazing. Did your grandmother give you any details about this? I’d love to hear it. 🙂
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I was about four years old when it happened. I can still remember when I was sitting with my grandmother outside at the table during a sunny day in Italy, when a light breeze passed us. Time seemed to have gone slow but I couldn’t smell the odour. But when that breeze passed over my grandmother’s face, she made a tranquil smile and said peacefully in Italian “the odour of Padre Pio”.
 
Actually it happened to me I think it was yesterday. At the Chapel of the Church I go to in the city it’s full of flowers you can smell. It’s Marys Chapel. So I associate that smell with Mary. I was lying on my bed yesterday and I smelt it. Maybe it was just sense memory I don’t know if any one else could smell it.
 
Yes, a week or two after my mom died. My wife and I experienced it on our deck bringing grocery’s in. There was a clear circle about 10" around we kept walking in and out of. It smelled like a florist shop for about 15 minutes within that circle. Tim
 
There is a grave of a young teen-age girl in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in the southwest suburbs of Chicago which has become the focus of a sort of grass roots devotion. Mary Alice Quin suffered from heart disease, was bedridden, and wanted to model herself after her patroness, St. Therese the Little Flower. After Mary Alice died in 1935, her mother tried to advance her cause for canonization, but did not have the wherewithall to do so. Nevertheless, people go to her grave and ask for her intercession. The scent of roses has been reported in the vicinity of her grave. I learned this on a cemetery tour I took once. Nobody on the tour that day experienced the rose scent. But one day when my family and I were visiting the graves of my grandparents in that cemetery, I told my husband about the grave of Mary Alice Quin. I said nothing about the scent of roses. We drove to the grave site, and my husband got out of the car to take a look at the grave. The rest of us stayed inside because it was a dreary November day with a fine mist-like rain in the air. Minutes later, my husband excitedly beckoned for us to join him. He said he was smelling roses. My 3 children and I got out of the car. The kids smelled roses also. I did not. I suppose I was acting as the “control”-- proof that this scent was not of natural origin.
 
Tenebrae said:
There is a grave of a young teen-age girl in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in the southwest suburbs of Chicago which has become the focus of a sort of grass roots devotion. Mary Alice Quin suffered from heart disease, was bedridden, and wanted to model herself after her patroness, St. Therese the Little Flower. After Mary Alice died in 1935, her mother tried to advance her cause for canonization, but did not have the wherewithall to do so. Nevertheless, people go to her grave and ask for her intercession. The scent of roses has been reported in the vicinity of her grave. I learned this on a cemetery tour I took once. Nobody on the tour that day experienced the rose scent. But one day when my family and I were visiting the graves of my grandparents in that cemetery, I told my husband about the grave of Mary Alice Quin. I said nothing about the scent of roses. We drove to the grave site, and my husband got out of the car to take a look at the grave. The rest of us stayed inside because it was a dreary November day with a fine mist-like rain in the air. Minutes later, my husband excitedly beckoned for us to join him. He said he was smelling roses. My 3 children and I got out of the car. The kids smelled roses also. I did not. I suppose I was acting as the “control”-- proof that this scent was not of natural origin.
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Awesome story! Thanks for sharing it. 🙂
 
These are great. Padre Pio was a very devout Saint, I admire him a lot. I read a lot of books about his life and his quotes.👍
 
The “odor of sanctity”? Not sure I’ve heard of that before…BUT…

I *have *inexplicably smelled a sudden strong (!) smell of flowers in the past. It was always in a place where I couldn’t find the source (i.e. no flowers nearby, no wind, etc.) and I just thought I was having a sensory halucination. Is there a chance that I smelled the “odor of sanctity?” Or maybe I just had a sheet of fabric softener in my pocket? 😃

Seriously, you’re serious? Is there a link to something that explains that?
 
Nom_the_Wise said:
The “odor of sanctity”? Not sure I’ve heard of that before…BUT…

I *have *inexplicably smelled a sudden strong (!) smell of flowers in the past. It was always in a place where I couldn’t find the source (i.e. no flowers nearby, no wind, etc.) and I just thought I was having a sensory halucination. Is there a chance that I smelled the “odor of sanctity?” Or maybe I just had a sheet of fabric softener in my pocket? 😃

Seriously, you’re serious? Is there a link to something that explains that?
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Okay, since you’re a bit skeptical (and rightfully so, I might add), here are some points I’d like to make.

First, using my example of my Lourdes Rosary again, I can tell you that it’s definitely not a sheet of fabric softener – the scent of fabric softener tends to be too strong and too weighty (at least from my experience anyway) to be this heavenly scent. From what I’ve smelled, it’s definitely not a weak scent, but it can also be airy in its own way.

And using another example with Padre Pio’s photograph, I remember that when this happened, I thought it was actually one of my Dad’s perfumes at first (because he likes to be very tasteful when it comes to his cologne), and I knew that he had some perfume bottles in the kitchen (since we used to have a very small house, plus the fact that he did have a sample vial in his bag).

Knowing this, I looked around the kitchen (which was where the Padre Pio picture was – up in the fridge) and started testing almost every pleasant scent-emitting thing that I could get my hands across.

None of the stuff in the kitchen smelled like that scent which the photo gave off. :eek:

So, yes, we can be skeptical and empirical at first (I was too, having been trained in a science background), but it can only get you so far when you eliminate every other possible conclusion. (Then, you just have to give it up to God in faith, knowing that there might be other conclusions, but that they’re not likely.)

Anyway, here are some links that could help you out on this:
Hope that helps!
 
I know the smell of roses are associated with Mary. And I have on occasion smelled roses at Mass and other places. Of course I check to make sure that its not coming from perfume 🙂 Its pretty powerful when it happens. I always just smile and thank Mary for visiting. Whether she was visiting me or someone else 🙂
 
ParvaDei said:
Okay, since you’re a bit skeptical (and rightfully so, I might add), here are some points I’d like to make.

…]

Hope that helps!
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I didn’t mean to give the impression that I doubt entirely. The fabric softener sheet came to my mind because one time I smelled something pretty out in my yard but then discounted it because I realized my dryer was on and venting.

I have a very hazy memory of “odor of sanctity” but I don’t recall it being called that, and I don’t remember it ever being discussed as it’s being discussed here, kind of like “Did you ever see a UFO?” or “Have you ever seen a black dog?”

I wasn’t kidding when I say that I actually have had times when I’ve been bowled over somewhat by an inexplicable sweet scent that I couldn’t account for. Thanks for the links. I will immediately peruse them.
 
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