The Stigmatists: their Gifts, their Revelations, their Warnings:
Over many centuries there have been incidents of people receiving the “Stigmata”….the wounds of Christ. It is something a bit difficult for the modern mind to accept…even among Catholics. Accepting the supernatural always brings the fear that perhaps we are being deceived….those claiming the stigmata might be charlatans. And we would feel like fools for believing them and then find out that they were false.
“The Stigmastists” by author Paul Kengor tells the story of many of these people….some well-known such as Saint Padre Pio or Saint Catherine of Siena; and others less well-known or perhaps barely known at all, such as Blessed Elena Aiello (haven’t heard of her? Well, neither had we). She was a 20th century stigmatist (she died in 1961, just six years before the death of Padre Pio) and her story as told in the book is fascinating…we won’t elaborate….just get the book and read it for yourself.
Visions, Revelations and Warnings are the underlying stories of the stigmatists…who were often given the option to accept the stigmata or refuse it. Not an easy choice to make, you would imagine, since the outward…and inward…pain could be intense. This is to say nothing of the un-wanted notoriety that came with the stigmata.
“The Stigmatists” is well-researched. The many references to various sources show that Dr. Kengor has taken pains to verify these stories and provide these resources for further research. To us, this is one of the characteristics of good authorship. It certainly helps to validate the contents of the book. Likewise, the index is well-organized, making it easy for a reader to look up certain persons or events.
You probably won’t read “The Sigmatists” all in one sitting…..each story is unique and complete. It is a great book to have handy when you want to read something akin to a “short story” but with greater meaning than mere fiction. Of course, some of those stories might keep you up at night…so maybe not the best bed-time reading!
The book is published by TAN books and can be ordered through our online store.