February 1963: Joey and Padre Pio

Joey Lomangino was born on June 27, 1931, in Brooklyn, NY (U.S.A.) from Italian-American parents. He was the eldest of five boys and one girl. In 1947, while he was watching a truck tire being inflated, it exploded and Joey was hit by the rim in his face. The bones of the forehead were crushed, the optic and olfactory nerves were severed.

He was in a coma for three weeks before he woke up . . . on the 16th of July (Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel) !

In 1961, he traveled to Italy and met St. Padre Pio for the first time, at the monastery of San Giovanni Rotondo. Although they had never met, the famous Capuchin greeted the American with these words: "Ah, Joey, how happy I am to see you!"

February 1963, Joey made another trip to Italy. He went back to see Padre Pio, who heard his confession and . . . miraculously restored the use of his olfactory sense . . . while the nerve still remains severed! Joey tells the story : "when I knelt down to receive Padre Pio’s blessing, and got the fragrance of roses that came from the wounds in his hands, I was startled and went against the wall with my arms up to protect myself; I didn’t know what it was. Padre Pio pulled down my hand and said in Italian, “Joey, don’t be afraid.” He then touched me on the bridge of my nose and my sense of smell was restored to me after being without it from the day of my accident in June 1947, which was 16 years."

Joey asked Padre Pio if the Virgin was appearing in Garabandal and was it true. Padre Pio would encouraged him to go to San Sebastian de Garabandal, after he had assured him very clearly that, "Yes, it is true, the Blessed Virgin is appearing at Garabandal!" Joey was far from being the only one to whom the great Italian stigmatist would confirm the authenticity of the apparitions: in addition to Conchita herself, may we mention, among others, Frs. Pel and Marcelino Maria Andreu, Padre Gustavo Morelos ( from Mexico), Mr. John Haffert (then President of the "Blue Army" of Fatima), Miss Eloisa Deguia.

When Joey returned to NY, he started spreading the news of apparitions of the Blessed Mother in Garabandal.

From the 'Garabandal' Book, J. Serre, pages 166-167