AROMA OF SANCTITY

AROMA OF SANCTITY Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint Maravillas of Jesus (a Spanish Discalced Carmelite) were reported to have emitted heavenly scents immediately after they had died. Reputedly, Teresa of Avila's scent emanated throughout the whole monastery the moment she died.

 Saint Thérèse de Lisieux (known as "the Little Flower") was said to have produced a strong scent of roses at her death, which was detectable for days afterward. Likewise, the blood issuing from Padre Pio's stigmata allegedly emanated the smell of flowers.

In ascetical theology, “the odor of sanctity” has come to mean that fragrance proceeding from the person, clothing, or domicile of a saint during life or after death. The phrase also refers to a reputation for extraordinary holiness of life. 

In examining causes for sainthood, postulates have found that saintly men and women have emitted agreeable fragrances such as orange-blossom, cinnamon, musk, and Benjamin, or that of the violet and rose. (A. Poulain, The Graces of Interior Prayer, 375).

Here are some personal stories from around the world about the 

'AROMA OF SANCTITY.'

1) 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.

 

 2) 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.  My Priest thankfully confirmed it.

3) A very Holy woman her whole life, 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 where-with-all 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.

4) 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

5) 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.I told our priest about it, who told me it was the Odour of Sanctity.

6) I was, and this is no shit, 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 scent.  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 scent.

7) 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.

8) 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.”

9) At East Jefferson Hospital in Metairie, Louisiana my Father was hospitalized.  Due to the Doctors carelessness my Father ended up having a heart attack, he was 90 years old. After, the Doctors stabilized my Father they informed me that the damage to my fathers heart was too severe, combined with his other health problems and age that there was not much hope.  

Thankfully, our family had a close relationship with a Priest and my Father was given the Last rites and anointing for the sick.  I was there at the bed side when the Doctors pulled the plug.  My Father, a WW2 Hero in the European theater, was a strong man and he fought on for another 2 hours before he passed.  I was holding his hands when I heard the monitor go flat.  I felt my Fathers hand go slack and suddenly the entire room was filled with the smell of a thousand roses.  

The entire room smelled as if it was in the middle of a field of roses.  The smell of roses was so powerful, but it was never over powering or too much.  Never in my entire life had I ever experienced such a thing.  Everyone kept asking.."Can you smell that!"  Even in the hallway people were commenting about the smell of Roses.  The room was filled with the smell of Roses for about 10 minutes after my Fathers death, then it gently disappeared.  

It wasn't until after the funeral that I began to seek out what the smell of Roses meant and that is when I found out that the experience is a sign that the deceased died in a state of Grace.   
 

Glory To GOD