Chorio is a tiny village in the lower Aspromonte in southern Calabria. It’s the birthplace of both my grandfather and his cousin, Gaetano Catanoso, the saint. The statue, a wonderful likeness of Gaetano, was commissioned by the Catanoso family of Reggio Calabria. Villagers contributed as well. I have visited this village several times, most recently in March, where I was invited to speak at the adjacent church, St Pasquale of Baylon. The mayor, Lillo Sapone, a doctor in Reggio, has become a friend. The villagers are wonderful — friendly, open and down to earth.

Chorio is not a tourist destination by any stretch. But the village is diligently restoring a property and house just a short walk from this square where Gaetano lived with his family as a child. I got to see the restoration in progress in March. They hope it will be a magnet for the faithful. So do I.

At the outset of Chapter 1, I describe a scene with two Italian priests rushing off to a private audience with a young Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in 1978. One of the priests, Msgr. Giuseppe D’Ascola, is picutured here during my interview with him in June 2006 in Rome. For months earlier, D’Ascola declined my entreaties to sit for an interview. He wasn’t interested . Then I asked a cousin of mine in Rome, Daniela Catanoso, to intervene. She contacted the monsignor and refused to take no for an answer. He finally relented and an appointment was set.

To me, it was critical to talk with D’Ascola because as a member of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints, he was the Postulator for the Cause of Padre Gaetano’s canonization. In other words, he was in charge of making sure all details were handled on the way to sainthood. The pope’s final approval depended on it.

We ended up talking for two hours (Daniela and Roman interpreter Marta Piermarini, pictured also, were both with me). I learned a great deal about the process, about D’Ascola and about his personal connection to Padre Gaetano. But what he was most eager to share is what became the opening scene to Chapter 1. As we all settled in, D’Ascola spoke up before I could ask a question, saying, “I have something to tell you that has never been written anywhere before. Listen closely. I want to tell you how this all began” — the canonization cause of Padre Gaetano.