Born in southern Italy in 1887, the Capuchin friar Padre Pio spent the greater part of his long life in a remote mountain friary of that region. From the dramatic moment in 1918 when he received the stigmata, he attracted crowds from all parts of the world to the little town of San Giovanni Rotondo. Apart from the stigmata, he had exceptional charismatic gifts. He read men's hearts, obtained temporal and spiritual favors for many and possessed the most unusual gifts. Innumerable pilgrims travel today to San Giovanni Rotondo to pray at his simple tomb.

Mary Ingoldsby was born in Dublin in 1914. After six years in the Irish Civil Service she went to Rome to follow relgious studies. Appointed in 1946 as delegate of a worldwide Catholic organization, she travelled for twelve years all over Italy, with frequent visits to other countries. She met Padre Pio personally in 1956 and later spent two years in San Giovanno Rotondo translating his principal writings into English.