Bilocation Bilocation means being physically present in two places at the same time. The Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is one form of this, although we do not see Him as He is in Heaven in the Host, yet we know that he is truly there, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. When we speak of the phenomenon of bilocation, we generally mean that which happened with some Saints: "Instances of bilocation have
been so well-documented, witnessed and investigated that they are
accepted facts in the history of the Church and in hagiography. It is
understood that the mystical gift is not given for the convenience of
the recipient, but to aid him in helping his fellow man or in
performing a function some distance away that had been forgotten. Often
the recipient of this gift employs it to attend the dying, to comfort,
to instruct and for many other reasons which we will now explore." [Mysteries, Marvels, Miracles, p. 1.] Among the Saints who
experienced this special gift are as recorded in the Cruz book: Saint Alphonsus Liguori, who was seen at the same in the pulpit preaching a sermon and in the confessional. Again, he was in Naples "preaching to university students when a poor woman called at Pagani to receive the alms usually given to her by the Saint. A lay brother, on answering the door, told her of the Saint's presence in another city and sent the poor woman away. Suddenly St. Alphonsus appeared and gave her the usual amount of money." These are but two examples of
that Saint's bilocation. Another Saint who could bilocate is Saint
Gerard Majella, a Redemptorist, like St. Alphonsus, the founder of that
order: "One day when he had
received no answer from Muro about a pressing affair, he said to his
companion, 'I must go there.' The next day he was seen at Muro while,
on the other hand, his companions declared that he had not left the
monastery. Another time, Fr. Margotta revealed to Dr. Santorelli that
St. Gerard, although in his room, had nevertheless spent the night in
ecstasy before the Most Blessed Sacrament in the choir of the
Franciscans. The Rev. Nicholo Fiore of Teora, impressed by the Saint's
reputation, spoke to Dr. Santorelli about his desire to meet him. Dr.
Santorelli replied that he would arrange a meeting. A few days later
the Rev. Nicholo arrived at the monastery to conduct business and
informed Dr. Santorelli that an introduction was unnecessary since
Gerard had visited with him at his home some days earlier. Dr.
Santorelli, who knew that the Saint had not left the monastery, took
the Rev. Nicholo to a place where Gerard and the community had gathered
and asked the Rev. Nicholo to identify him. Rev. Nicholo Some of the other Saints are
St. Paul of the Cross, St. Joseph of Cupertino, Saint Lydwina
[Lydwine],
Saint Martin de Porres, and Saint Catherine dei Ricci, and now, Saint
Pio of Pietrelcina can be added to the array. The engineer Todini of Rome had remained until late one evening at San Giovanni Rotondo. As he was about to leave, he noticed that it was pouring rain, so he asked the Saint permission to stay overnight in the monastery, but he did not grant it. The man replied: "Father, how will I manage to get down to the village without an umbrella? I'll be soaking wet!" "I'll go with you (in the spirit of course) ," answered Padre Pio. Todini wished him a good night, and left. Before opening the door to the square in front of the church, he could hear the rain cascading down the pavement. Although a powerful gust of wind surged towards him, he was taken by surprise to discover that it was barely sprinkling, just a few drops here and there, and no more. When he he reached the town, he went to his room at the place he was staying. "How wet you must be!" his hosts said to him as he entered. "Why, it was not raining at all!" "Not raining? Why it seemed like the end of the world!" He was able to show them that his clothes were perfectly dry, to the great surprise of all, including himself, and no one was able to give any explanation. [Carty, p. 58.] Actually this is not so surprising when viewed from the history of the Saints. For instance, Ven. Dominic of Jesus and Mary, a Discalced Carmelite who died in 1630, levitated while in an ecstasy in the presence of King Philip II of Spain. On another occasion, while he was rising in the air, he was grabbed by a skeptic who thought the levitation to be a ruse, only to find himself being carried up with the Saint, which frightened him, so Ven. Dominic let him go and he fell to the ground, which caused him an injury. [Cruz, pp. 27-28.] "On the 8th of May, 1926, a dozen people from Bologna were waiting for Padre Pio in the hallway of the monastery of San Giovanni Rotondo. They had come from Monte Saint Angelo where they had been to visit the magnificent sanctuary with a hundred other pilgrims. Some of the group were already in the church praying. It is well to note that at this time there was no door leading directly from the sacristy to the monastery, therefore the Father had to pass through the church if he wanted to get into the sacristy. "The group waited in vain for a long time, wanting to be the first to speak to him. Another Father told them to their surprise that Padre Pio had been for some time in the church already, hearing confession. Signor Giuseppe Borri, the Misses Stefanelli of La Quercia (Bologna), Signor Milani of Veggio Grizzana, and Signorina Carolina Giovannini and others went to the church and really did find Padre Pio, who was in the women's confessional. When they asked how he had gotten there, they were told that he had come the usual way." [Carty, pp. 59-60.] The visitors then realized that he could only have gotten there through supernatural means, because they had been waiting for him in the only hallway for over three hours. Fr. Carty further relates that at San Martino in Pensilis, a group of devotees of Padre Pio and members of the Third Order of Saint Francis, regularly met in the house of one or the other for their Franciscan reunion. Before beginning they would all say a little prayer to their Guardian Angels, asking them to go and call Padre Pio, so he could be present in their midst. Often, after having done so, they all smelled the fragrance associated with Padre Pio, and they all reverently knelt down saying: "Padre Pio is with us; he will direct our meeting." You are referred to the following external link: BILOCATION PAGE RELATING INCIDENCES OF PADRE PIO HOME------------------------------------------------------------SAINTS www.catholictradition.org/Padre-Pio/padre-pio10c.htm |