Nevertheless, St. Joseph bade her do as she was told, and the sister left reluctantly. Deep down inside though, the nun did want to be obedient and grow to trust in God.

As she entered the first store, the sister summoned all her courage and requested the goods Fr. Cottolengo had sent her for. Great was her astonishment when, instead of the harsh rebukes she expected to hear, the nun was informed that the bill had already been paid.

"By whom?" The good sister was stunned.

A lady. No, she did not identify herself. She simply paid the bill. The sister need not worry about the money for her goods.

Perplexed while still grateful, the nun continued on her errands. But the mystery was not over. Instead of diminishing, her amazement grew with every store she visited. Each told the same story of a lady who had come and paid St. Joseph Cottolengo’s bill. At one location, the stranger’s donation had exceeded the debt and the sister was able to bring some money back to the "little house of Divine providence."

Upon returning, the excited sister narrated the whole sequence of events to St. Joseph Cottolengo. The holy man smiled as he listened. When she’d finished, St. Joseph asked her, "Don’t you recognize whom the lady was?" The nun clearly did not. The saintly priest was quick to inform her.

"It was Our Blessed Mother, of course!"