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The perfumed cross of acacia wood at the Cenacle of Prayer
On 11 November 1986 (the feast of St Martin) the crucifix in the small oratory of Renato’s house began to give off a perfume which spread through the whole house. All the windows were opened in an attempt to discover its origin. It was then found that the perfume was coming from the head and wounds of the crucifix. The next day, in the same room, the hands and feet of the ceramic statuette of the Madonna began to emit a perfume. It was immediately noticed that the perfume from the statuette differed slightly from that of the crucifix: it was more delicate.
On 23 November the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary in the church of St Martin gave off perfume. Towards the end of 1986 a cross made of two branches of acacia wood, which formed the second station on the Way of the Cross, also began to emit perfume. This cross is at present kept in a transparent case at the Cenacle. Near it, on the wall, is the following inscription: "This cross of acacia wood, made on Monte di Cristo during Holy Week 1986, was placed where the first station of the present Way of the Cross is now sited. In November 1986 it began spontaneously to emit perfume. As the faithful in their devotion were removing pieces of it, it was moved in June 1987 and is kept in this case at the Cenacle of Prayer, where its perfume is still an object of wonder and respect". One night in March ’87 some unknown individuals daubed this cross with lime or glue. Two persons then cleaned it, using cloths impregnated with turpentine. Afterwards, their hands and the cloths smelt of the same perfume as the cross. On Wednesday 19 August 1987, at around 10 p.m., after the devotions of the Way of the Cross on Monte di Cristo, Our Lady warned Renato in a very brief apparition that the cross was being profaned. The men ran down the hill to the Cenacle building, a distance of 3 km: the door had been forced open and the cross carried off. It was subsequently found near the fence encircling the park, and two cars were seen heading off at high speed: clearly the miscreants had had to abandon what they were doing so as not to be caught red-handed. On 4 February 1987, a Wednesday, some people returning from the evening Stations of the Cross noticed that the rock facing the fourth station was giving off perfume; in the days that followed the entire rock emitted perfume. On 11 February 1987 the water of the little spring between the eighth and ninth stations also began to emit perfume. Since January 1988 the rose-bush on the wall of the bell-tower of St Martin’s church has also been giving off perfume. The perfumes are of two kinds: that of the cross is dryer, the so-called "perfume of the Madonna" is more delicate. Laboratory analyses have been carried out on a fragment of the cross and on perfumed leaves gathered along the Way of the Cross, but no eviden-ce of any artificial substance has been detected. A very positive fact is the absence of fanaticism on the part of the pilgrims. These perfumes are regarded as signs of God’s goodness; no one claims to merit them. On the contrary, they give rise to feelings of gratitude to God, whose goodness to us always goes beyond what we deserve. Finally, it should be mentioned that not everyone perceives thes perfumes in all the places mentionedabove: sometimes they are noticed, at other times not. Thus, the pilgrims are not in the habit of seeking them out, even though they feel joy when experiencing them. Learn more about these events at Reginadellamore.org
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