Sight without Pupils
“Padre Pio Glimpse into the Miraculous” by Pascal Cataneo
Can a person see without pupils? It is not humanly possible. There is, however, someone still living today who was born without pupils and who now sees. From the moment Padre Pio made the Sign of the Cross on her eyes, she began to see, and even to this day she still has no pupils! Her name is Gemma di Giorgi. Born on Christmas night, 1939, her parents noticed she had strange eyes. Something was missing. The village doctor consulted two specialists in Palermo, Dr. Cucco and Dr. Contino. These men examined the little girl and discovered she had no pupils. Their prognosis was that she would be blind for the rest of her life because no one can see without pupils.
The parents were devastated by this new. They nevertheless trusted Divine Providence and often prayed in the Chapel of Our Lady at the church. One day they had a visit from an aunt, who is a nun. She advised them to contact Padre Pio. The little girl’s grandmother was quite prepared to accompany her to San Giovanni Rotondo. She asked the nun to write to Padre Pio and commend the little blind girl to his prayers. One night the nun dreamed of the priest, and he asked her, “Where is this Gemma for whom you bombard me with prayers?” Still in the dream, the nun brought Gemma to him, and he made the Sign of the Cross on her eyes.
The next day she received a letter from Padre Pio. It read: “Dear daughter, I assure you of my prayers for this little one. Best wishes!” Impressed by the coincidence between the dream and Padre Pio’s reply to her letter, she urged the little girl’s grandmother to take her right away to San Giovanni Rotondo. The old lady had no need to be told twice, so she took her granddaughter and set out without delay. On the train Gemma told her grandmother that she thought she could see something, but the grandmother did not believe her because no on can see without pupils.
On arriving, Gemma and her grandmother went quickly to the church and to Padre Pio for confession. The little girl had not yet made her first Confession and Communion, and this seemed a good opportunity for her to receive these Sacraments from the hands of Padre Pio himself.
The grandmother told the little girl to ask Padre Pio, in the confessional, to pray that she might see, but Gemma forgot. When Gemma came to him, Padre Pio put his hands on her eyes and made the Sign of the Cross.
After confession the grandmother asked Gemma if she had thought to petition Padre Pio for her sight. The little girl told her she had forgotten to do so. The woman was very upset at this and began to cry. She then went off to find Padre Pio herself to intercede for Gemma’s cure. Padre Pio said to her, “Have confidence, my daughter. You must not make Gemma cry, and you must not worry about her. Gemma sees, you know!”
The little girl received her First Holy Communion from Padre Pio, who after giving her the host made the Sign of the Cross on her eyes. On the day set for their return journey, Gemma and her grandmother took the train home. The little girl noticed that her sight was getting better and better, to the point of being normal.
At Cosenza the grandmother became ill and had to stay in the hospital for a few days. Before leaving she took Gemma to an oculist who was absolutely astounded to discover that the girl could see perfectly well although she had no pupils!
A few months later Gemma went with her parents to a specialist in Perugia. He also attested to the fact that she could see normally even without pupils and admitted that there was no human explanation for this.
Gemma still sees like this. She lives in her village, but, from time to time, she leaves it to tell her wonderful story!
Padre Pio Prayer Group of Denver 