Wow – I had no idea!

A new book entitled I Met Paul VI reveals some pretty incredible facts about the life of Pope Paul VI. Written by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the book is more a collection of stories about the late pontiff than a full blown biography.

Archbishop Fisichella worked for the beatification process for the Paul VI and is currently the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization.

Here are 5 amazing facts from the book:

1) As pope, Paul VI secretly wore chains under his clothes

Reported by one of his private secretaries, he did this intense penance “to remind him that Christ had carried the Cross to redeem the world.”

2) He was baptized on the same day that St. Thérèse of Lisieux died

September 30th, 1897.

3) Close associates report he was “always profoundly serene” in his latter years

They say this was a result of his deep prayer life.

4) His alarm clock rang without being set at the exact moment of his death

A gift from his mother from years earlier, it was set to wake him up at 6am daily. Yet, when he died on August 6th, 1978 at 9:40pm, it rang out on its own. Archbishop Fisichella writes that “it welcomed him that evening into … eternal life.”

5) The chasuble he wore at his first Mass after ordination was made from his mother’s wedding dress

This isn’t particularly “shocking,” but it’s still pretty cool!

Bl. Paul VI, please pray for us!

[See also: You Won’t Believe How Often St. John Paul II Visited the Eucharist]

[See also: 4 Times God Miraculously Saved John Paul II from Being Killed Before His Time]

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