“On Friday, 20 September 1918, Padre Pio sat in the choir loft of the friary chapel
at San Giovanni Rotondo saying prayers of thanksgiving after Mass. Mayhem suddenly broke loose. The crucifix in the choir loft transformed itself into an ‘exalted being’ whose hands, feet and side dripped blood. The friar was terrified. Beams of light and shafts of flame burst forth from the being, wounding him in the hands and feet. ‘What I felt at that moment is indescribable,’ Padre Pio later recalled. ‘I thought I would die.’ Padre Pio fell to the floor, his hands and feet oozing blood. He retained the stigmata for the rest of his life.”
Padre Pio – Irish Encounters with the Saint
“The scent of roses has been associated with Padre Pio since the stigmata, or ‘wounds of Christ’,
appeared on his body in 1918. It is often likened to the smell you might get from a garden of roses in bloom. For those who have experienced this celestial fragrance, it is sometimes said to persist like a steady summer breeze; other times, it comes and goes. No one has identified what causes the fragrance. What we do know, however, is that it has heralded numerous miracles and cures.”
Padre Pio – The Scent of Roses
“Shortly before her death, Thérèse promised to let fall from heaven a “shower of roses.” 
She loved roses, observing them blossoming and blooming outside her window as she lay dying. She adored them so much that she chose them as a symbol of the multitude of revivals she promised to bring about after her death. Thérèse’s miracles have not only been numerous but diverse. Many involve cures from serious illnesses and diseases including cancer, heart failure, meningitis, septicaemia, tuberculosis and chronic arthritis. More are of a practical nature – a Dublin nun told us: ‘Whenever I need parking, I ask St. Thérèse. She never fails me!'”
The Little Flower, St. Thérèse of Lisieux – The Irish Connection
“Perhaps the final words should be left to Cork author, Rose Lynch,
who visited the shrine on numerous occasions, including as part of the famous 1913 Irish National Pilgrimage. ‘I never met a man, woman, or child who did not love Lourdes, who did not want to prolong his or her visit there,’ she wrote. ‘I have seen strong men’s lips quiver, their eyes fill with tears, as they took their last look at Lourdes; one and all hope on leaving they may live to come again.’ Those comments, if nothing more, illustrate the enduring power of Lourdes.”
The Village of Bernadette: Lourdes, Stories, Miracles and Cures
“Brigid wore a white cloak and had a white veil over her head. 
The other women were also dressed in white. At her own request, out of humility, Brigid was the last to be professed. It was then that something extraordinary happened. The ancient manuscript, the Liber Hymnorum, recounts in detail what occurred. This book of hymns, whose contents date back to as early as the sixth century, is clear that ‘the episcopal order’ – meaning the title of bishop – was conferred on Brigid. ‘It came to pass that Bishop Mel conferred on Brigit the episcopal order,’ the author of the text wrote. ‘And hence Brigit’s successor is always entitled to have episcopal orders and the honour due to a bishop.’”
The Book of St. Brigid
LINKS
Colm Keane’s books
‘The Unique Irish Enthusiasm For Lourdes’
Colm Keane’s biography