St Padre Pio

Medjugorje Apologia

2011-02-13T12:48:00.000Z

Lovely new website in defense of Medjugorje which has clearly explained answers to questions and accusations against Medjugorje by critics.

http://www.medjugorje-apologia.com/index.html

A Hymn to Padre Pio by Alex Quinn

2011-02-09T23:27:00.000Z

For the remarkable story of Alex Quinn from Belfast, or to find out more information on his CD "A Hymn to Padre Pio" and how to order it visit the web sites at the link below. All proceeds from the CD go to Padre Pio's Monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
http://www.padrepiodevotions.org/2010april.asp
http://barnbrack.bandcamp.com/album/a-hymn-to-padre-pio-with-lyrics

Words of St Padre Pio

2010-04-24T22:29:00.004+01:00

The Secret of Padre Pio

2010-04-21T16:59:00.003+01:00

The Secret of Padre Pio ; A Conversation between Father Nicholas Gruner and James Demers

Foreword by James W. Demers
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Padre Pio has been called "The Living Crucifix" because of the wounds in his hands and feet and in his side. But The Imitation of Christ that was Padre Pio was of course first of all in his heart and soul and mind before it was in his hands, his feet and his side.

It is easy to imagine that the spiritual classic, The Imitation of Christ, attributed to Thomas a Kempis, was as well known to Padre Pio as was his own rosary. So reflective of the character of Padre Pio are the sayings of the four books of The Imitation that it is hard to separate the words from Padre Pio's visage. One can almost hear him sigh these words, words sometimes glorious, sometimes homey, but always steeped in common sense. He might have uttered them when preparing to enter the confessional, or giving advice to penitents, or vesting to say Mass. One can easily imagine the useful reminders and the suggestions dancing like feathers of light in the purity of his soul when, during the Sacrifice of the Mass, he was totally lost to the sensible world. Time and again those who consider themselves spiritual children of Padre Pio comment on his immediacy, how he is instantly at their side when his name is called in times of distress. In The Imitation of Christ, that immediacy is put to the test and passes with radiant colors. Padre Pio might just as well be reading the words aloud to you, or better yet, reading them softly in the deepest reaches of your heart.

The Approach To This 'Living Crucifix'

Since you already have this article in your hand and have read it thus far means clearly, you already have an open heart. That is all you need to approach Padre Pio. It might help if you knew the biographical details of his life but you will not find them here. They have been amply dealt with in the myriad volumes of the publishing industry that grew up because of this man.

Nor will you be overwhelmed with superlatives about his humanity, his spiritual ascent, his service to the Church, the priesthood and his fellow man. Padre Pio shuddered at superlatives and seldom used them when referring to mere mortals. He saved his praises for the Love of his life. The Secret of Padre Pio, rather, has to do with being Catholic. In this age of false rhetoric when, under the guise of ecumenism, political agendas are distorting Christianity out of any semblance to the treasure that issued from the Side Wound of the Messiah, it is important to recall that Padre Pio would have considered it madness to be anything but Catholic. Roman Catholic!

Neither is this article about being Catholic in the political sense. It is not even about the Church. It is about the individual Catholic soul. That is the source of the inescapable magnetism that is Padre Pio. His immortal soul was the theater in which was waged the battle to win Heaven. His immortal message was that nothing matters but winning that battle. He won his with purely Catholic weapons. They will appear recognizable to you here, not only from the excerpts of The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis which dot the article, but from Padre Pio's own words.

That Padre Pio's words are Catholic through and through becomes apparent when one notes that his words, phrases, sentences, sometimes short paragraphs, even when taken out of context, stand entirely complete, needing no reference to anything before or after to add even one iota of clarity, meaning or nuance. This, again, is proof of the immediacy of his character that is so often referred to by those who find him part of their life.

Sending Your Guardian Angel On An Errand

Finding Padre Pio part of one's life takes so little effort it is no wonder his spiritual children encompass every race on earth and circle the globe. You simply send your guardian angel to get him and he comes right away. It is that simple. It requires no small leap of daring to include one's own words, page by page between excerpts from The Imitation of Christ and quotes from Padre Pio. But just as Padre Pio dared to surrender daily to the Love of his life for the good of his own soul, so too he demanded of his friends and the penitents that lined up by the thousands, year in and year out to reach his confessional, that they too seek the Immortal Lover of souls with all their hearts. In the following interview, Father Nicholas Gruner, no stranger to the need to be daring, who knew Padre Pio personally and lived at San Giovanni Rotondo for the last six months of Padre Pio's life, responds to questions about Padre Pio based on The Imitation of Christ, divided into four parts named for the four parts of The Imitation of Christ.

And so we dare to turn the page and enter a world totally Catholic, totally personal and totally accessible to even the most fainthearted.

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The Secret of Padre Pio

(Earlier this year James Demers talked with Father Gruner before Father Gruner left for Padre Pio's beatification in Rome, May 2.)

J.D: You knew Padre Pio, you met him, lived at San Giovanni Rotondo for six months and worked with him.

F.G: I met Padre Pio for the first time in 1965. I had just graduated from McGill University the year before and had been in Europe since November of 1964. In May of 1965, I was in Italy and I heard about Padre Pio from some Franciscan Nuns when I was in Assisi. So I made up my mind to go and see him. I had heard that his Masses were three hours long so, myself, not known for getting up early in the morning as my friends can attest, I didn't think I'd be there for the beginning of his Mass. But I determined to be there for the middle of it. I got there about 7:30, but his Mass was long over. He always says his Mass at 5 o'clock. By 1965 he was under obedience to say his Mass in half an hour. I didn't speak much Italian but someone hearing I had come a long way led me up the back stairway and introduced me to him. He tapped me on the head, (a sign of approval or affection). That was my first meeting with Padre Pio. Three years later I went back.

J.D: Did he at that time already have the reputation for being a miracle worker? And the reputation for bilocation?

F.G: Oh yes! He certainly had the reputation for miracles, bilocation, prophecy. Most extraordinary things. I witnessed some of them and I've talked to people who were witnesses to them. He already had these gifts back in 1918, when the gift of the stigmata, which he had received invisibly in 1915, became visible on the 20th of September, 1918. It remained visible for the rest of his life. I attended his last Mass on September 22, 1968, along with thousands of other pilgrims. The only time you could see his wounds was when he said Mass because to do so he took his half-gloves off. I was standing near a pillar close to the front and could see one of the wounds, the one visible in his left hand.

J.D: Aside from the fact that the stigmata was visible to you, was there more? Was there a feeling that you were in the presence of someone special?

F.G: Padre Pio had a gift of perfume, that is, he could send you a fragrance. For example, we are in this radio studio, there are no flowers here, and the doors are closed. Unless someone had wanted to play a trick on us and mischievously sprayed something through a crack under the door, there is no way you could get a fragrance into this room. You could be minding your own business, not even thinking about Padre Pio, and all of a sudden you would get this whiff of perfume. There are no flowers around, nobody walking by with perfume on, you get it all by yourself. I remember being in San Giovanni, the town where Padre Pio lived the last fifty-plus years of his life. I was with an Irishman who was rather poor. I wasn't that much richer, but I had more money than he did so I invited him out for dinner. He ordered wine, which I didn't, and he went to pour some into my glass, which I turned down. At that time, I had made a promise not to have wine for a week.

He offered me some two or three times but I said no. So he said "If I even poured you a glass you wouldn't drink it, would you?" I said "No." At that moment I got this whiff of perfume, the fragrance of roses, which was one of Padre Pio's better known perfumes. He had over 200 but 5 were most commonly known. It was understood that when he sent you a perfume of roses, he approved of what you were doing. St. Francis of Assisi had the visible stigmata. St. Catherine of Siena had the invisible stigmata. Padre Pio had the gift of bilocation. Other saints have had the gift of bilocation. He had the gift of reading of hearts. He could tell a person what their sins were even if they were trying to hide them from him. He had the gift of miracles, he worked many miracles in his lifetime.

One man came to him who was blind and Padre Pio said to him, "I could cure you, but if I cured you, you would end up sinning by your eyes and go to hell. Would you like me to still cure you?" The man said. "No."
There's a person in the United States who was left blinded in both eyes by an exploding tire. He also lost his sense of smell. Padre Pio restored his sense of smell. The nerve is still cut to this day, yet he can smell anything anyone else can, it is a miracle because the nerves are not connected. It is not by natural means, but he can smell. A girl in Sicily was born without pupils and her mother brought her to Padre Pio when she was four or five years old. Padre Pio prayed for her and she was able to see. That's miraculous enough but the fact is she still does not have pupils. She is not only cured, she can see without the benefit of pupils.

I think God works miracles in this way in order to confound our proud age which believe they have all the answers and that science, human scientific knowledge, is the highest power. Well He is obviously much more powerful than science — the science of the Saints is higher knowledge and more powerful. These are just a few of his many miracles. There are hundreds of books written about Padre Pio, a number of them are in English. One of the most famous in the English language is Padre Pio the Stigmatist written by Fathers Rumble and Carty in the 1940's. It is 300 pages of incidents and recounting of different things in his life, many of which are miracles, giving names, dates and addresses.

He would cry at Mass and when asked why, he answered: "What are a few tears that I shed compared to God giving up His life and dying on the cross for our sake?" His tears, when dried on a handkerchief would smell like violets. For many people violets symbolize tears of Padre Pio. An odor of carbolic was pleasant but he was telling you to do penance. He also had the perfume of fresh-cut tobacco, that was a gift of showing his presence. One gentleman from Ireland, an agnostic, went to church and noticed a perfume reminding him of his uncle who had died in the odor of sanctity. He realized this odor was being sent to him by Padre Pio. He asked Padre Pio, who was not visibly present "How many perfumes do you have?" Over the next half-hour he counted over 200 perfumes, one after the other. He finally lost count and the perfumes stopped coming.

While I was working in Italy, I would spend from 2 to 5 days a week in Padre Pio's town. I remember meeting an American airman, in 1968, he had gotten into an argument with a Baptist or some Protestant group and they proved to him there was no purgatory. He knew this was against the Faith so he went to Padre Pio. He needed an answer to this but he didn't want the experience of Padre Pio sending a perfume to him. I met him again several months later and he had no problem believing in purgatory by then. He told me that one day he had been alone in the pensione where he was staying and he got the odor of perfume. Previous to that day he had thought he would freak out if this happened to him but he obviously survived the experience. Padre Pio had given him his answer in a way he didn't want. Padre Pio had a sense of humor, as you mentioned.

Mary Pyle was an American woman. She died in April, two months after I met her. She had been in San Giovanni since 1920. She had been quite wealthy. She built her house in San Giovanni to be near Padre Pio. She had a servant and she fed the poor, among other things, out of the goodness of her heart. She would serve the poor at all hours and her cook complained. Mary Pyle thought the cook should be willing for love of the poor, to be willing to serve them at all hours. The cook thought Mary Pyle was unreasonable. They appealed to Padre Pio and he ruled in favor of the cook. He said it was not fair to have her work all the time, she needed her rest. She also said at one time her cook was baking a cake and Padre Pio came into the room through bilocation and said that it would be better if you put the eggs in first. The cook reversed the order and it really worked, it was better.

Mary Pyle acted as hostess when Padre Pio's mother and father came to die in San Giovanni. Her one request was that she die before Padre Pio. Mary Pyle's sister, who didn't speak a word of Italian, was in San Giovanni during the Second World War and went to Padre Pio for confession. Padre Pio did not speak English yet they understood each other, even though they both spoke in their own languages. Some of the most famous stories are about Padre Pio and soldiers, particularly fliers. An Italian flier who jumped out of his plane because he was fired at and his plane was going down, was unable to get his parachute to open. The next thing he knew he was being let down gently by a friar. He recognized him as Padre Pio. The man went to Padre Pio to thank him for saving his life. "Just this one?" asked Padre Pio, "What about the time your plane hit the mountain and you also bailed out safely? But don't thank me, thank your mother, it was her prayers that saved you." The man hadn't realized Padre Pio had saved his life that first time.

Late in the war after the American forces took over in southern Italy, they took over an Air Force base about 40 kilometers from San Giovanni. They were using that base to fly bombing missions over Yugoslavia. At the beginning of the war, Padre Pio told the people of San Giovanni no bombs would ever fall on the city of San Giovanni Rotondo. He promised them that.

The colonel had given strict orders to the Americans that they must never return to the base with any bombs on board. The reason for that was if they crash landed they would blow up the base. He warned he would court-martial anyone who disobeyed this order. One pilot in particular told his friend Alphonse D'Ortega, whom I met in San Giovanni Rotondo in 1968, and who worked on that same base, that as he was flying back he realized he was ten minutes from the base and he had a bomb still on board. He went to drop the bomb but before he could do so he saw a cloud coming towards him in the form of a man speaking English saying "Don't do it." Orders are orders, cloud or no cloud, English or no English, he went to drop the bomb. It jammed, he was unable to drop the bomb. He had no choice, he was out of fuel, he landed with the bomb on board. When the colonel heard the man came back with a bomb on board he was livid. He wanted to punish his disobedience by court-martialling him. When he heard the pilot's explanation he felt the pilot had been flying too long and needed a rest. It happened so frequently on that base that the story was heard by a nine-year-old busboy in the mess who said "Oh, that sounds like Padre Pio."

When D'Ortega heard the little boy say this, he knew the Protestant pilot who had this experience. He asked him to go see what was there. They both went to the church before the 5 o'clock Mass and the pilot who had never been inside a Catholic church before saw the man he had seen in the clouds. It was Padre Pio coming out for Mass. This story was recounted in a secular book called The Italians. There were hundreds of miracles that Padre Pio worked. These are just some of the more dramatic.

J.D: There were instances also of multiple bilocations. He was asked how could that possibly be, to be in multiple places at one time. He explained it by saying it was an extension of personality we can't understand yet. That was as far as he went in trying to explain it.

F.G: Apparently the friars had a debate amongst themselves, he was in the room but not in the discussion. They were discussing whether a person who is in bilocation is conscious of his being in the second place or not. One half said he could not be aware of where he is, the others said he was. After a lengthy discussion, Padre Pio, who wasn't a participant said "He knows."

J.D:The description is often used about him, that he was 'a living crucifix', because of the stigmata in his hands and feet. But one can almost say that his biography can easily be found in the words of The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis.

The first meditation in The Imitation of Christ seems to actually open the door on his character. I felt very close to him when I read this. The first meditation, in the section called Useful Reminders reduced to just one line, reads: "This is the highest wisdom, to see the world as it truly is, fallen and fleeting. To love the world not for its own sake but for God and to direct all your efforts toward achieving the kingdom of Heaven." One of the things that Padre Pio is quoted as saying in his later years: "Theologians can make mistakes and expose themselves to ridicule. The severity of the Church is always necessary in order to clarify our ideas, even when we find it tiresome. With time, you too will understand this. Without severity there would only be chaos." I think he was relating this to Vatican II. Would you say this relates to the situation in the Church today.

F.G: His phrase "without severity" refers to the Church insisting upon the truth, even if there is a pain involved. For example, Padre Pio endorsed the Encyclical Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI, about ten days before his own death. The letter he wrote to the Pope has been published. Pope Paul certainly knew of Padre Pio and his opinion of the encyclical was asked before it was published. Padre Pio's response was:
"Publish it right away, publish it as it is."

Many people consider Humanae Vitae severe. But all Paul VI was doing was reiterating Catholic truth.
The point is: if we don't live by truth, we become a slave of either somebody who is telling us a lie, or we become a slave of our own vices. Without that severity of the truth, of course there will only be chaos.

J.D: Padre Pio's follow-up comment to that was: "There are many reasons for loving the Church, but in my opinion the mere fact that there is severity down through the centuries has kept intact, for us, at least in substance, the word of God and the Eucharist, ought to be sufficient to make us love her more than a mother."

A Unique Sense of Irony

J.D: Padre Pio had a very particular slant on authority figures. This is something you, Father Gruner, can relate to very well. The fifth meditation from The Imitation of Christ, says "God speaks to us in many ways without considering a person's status." Padre Pio says: "Well, well, how the world has changed since I was young! In those days the police were to be found at the heels of thieves and robbers, now they go before them on motorcycles to clear the way."

In the comment that he is making here, he is talking specifically about politicians, but you also know all about those. F.G: Of course he was referring to politicians. Consider that in North America the police are protecting abortionists and murderers. So the world certainly has changed from the time Padre Pio was growing up. And not for the better, obviously. At the same time, Our Lord says about people of status, the Pharisees and Saducees, that they are sitting in the Chair of Moses and when they teach you what Moses teaches you, follow them. But don't follow their actual example because they do not do what Moses taught them to do. We should not follow the example of people of status in high places that are living hypocritical lives. But at the same time, if they are exercising their legitimate authority, Our Lord expects us to obey them.

J.D: Meditation 14, from The Imitation of Christ, is a lovely meditation which I think sort of intersects with your own life and Padre Pio's. "Differences of thought and opinion lead to more than enough bickering among friends and neighbors, among religious, and developed people." This echoes of Padre Pio, who said to certain people who overwhelmed him with attention: "There are no saints of any kind here so go and find those saints whom you are looking for in some other town. I am disgusted by certain things, especially if they are carried out in public. But if we were alone and I had a ton of water at my disposition I would throw it over you with the strength of a fireman so as to refresh your brain and make you feel lighter."

Padre Pio was trying to say to people, you are overwhelming me with all of your attention, you are overwhelming me with all the minutiae of your concerns and all that. Above all things, I am a human being and I need to be left alone for a little bit.

Sometimes you, Father Gruner, must feel equally swamped. You, too are in demand at conferences all the time, on the move all the time, and are often confronted by people with many varied concerns. How do you deal with it?

F.G: There is a vast difference in the people who were around Padre Pio and those around myself, in the sense that, as Padre Pio said one time, "When you give people God they will eat you up."
He gave God to millions of people. My work is simply, but importantly, repeating what Our Lady of Fatima said. Unfortunately it is not being repeated by enough people. That's why, I think, I am in demand as much as I am. As for the people surrounding Padre Pio, they knew they were dealing with a saint. It's nice to have the people appreciate you and it's also nice to have time to yourself so that you can talk to God and get to know yourself a little better.

Toward The Inner Life

J.D: There is so much conflict following up on this very point in the hearts of Catholics who grew up believing that their role as a Catholic was one of obedience within the Church. Today we are being sold a bill of goods that demand we be obedient to all the rules coming out of the Vatican regarding Fatima. Yet everybody feels instinctively there is something wrong with them.

People are using the term 'false obedience' to describe what is being demanded and standing back, looking very carefully at the whole issue of the pro-Fatima and anti-Fatima conflict within the Church and they are so often misrepresented by the so-called experts as being ill-informed. The faithful loyal to Fatima are maintaining Fatima's whole message with a lot of personal strength. It is reminiscent of Meditation 3 of Part II of The Imitation of Christ, entitled Toward The Inner Life:

"A person who is at peace with himself does more good than someone who is learned."

Padre Pio made a comment about obedience that is really beautiful.
"Where there is no obedience, there is no virtue; where there is no virtue, there is no good; where there is no good, there is no love; where there is no love, there is no God; and where there is no God, there is no paradise." That, of course, is why we are afraid to disobey. That is why we are afraid to challenge obedience. Unfortunately, it is used against us by those whose aim is to beat down the pious, is to invert the meaning of the call to piety. It seems an overwhelming juggernaut out of Rome is bent on forcing us to do things we know are wrong.

F.G: The answer to that comes from the mouth of the first Pope, St. Peter. He says: "We must obey God rather than men." St. Peter said this to the Sanhedren when they were ordering him not to preach in the name of Jesus Christ. He said he would not obey them. So they scourged him, along with St. John. When God commands Peter and John and the Apostles to preach in Christ's name, no man can tell them not to. When Our Lord says to us, in the Message of Fatima, "Make it known to My ministers ..." He isn't giving authority to His ministers to silence His message. Fatima is a prophecy. Scripture tells us we must not despise prophecy. In 1 Thess. 5:19-22, the Holy Spirit, writing through the pen of St. Paul says:

"Do not extinguish the spirit, do not despise prophecy.
But test all things and hold fast to that which is good."

The prophetic Message of Fatima has been tested by the Catholic Church, by the hierarchy, and they have found it to be good. So, according to the injunction of Scripture, we must hold fast to it. We must obey. We must obey God rather than men. That is the answer.

J.D: Since Vatican II there seems to be this stratosphere of the learned, or the elite, who ave appointed themselves as the watchdogs of the Church. It seems that for 30 years now they have been in direct opposition to the humble Catholic who just wants to practice his faith and live his life day by day while all of these self-appointed elite are distorting the Church out of all recognition to anything we've seen.
In The Imitation of Christ this one lovely line in Meditation 5, Part II, simply says: "A person who honestly examines his own behavior would never judge other people harshly."
Padre Pio had a scathing sense of humor, and also of what was allowed, and what was not allowed inside religious life.

You Father Gruner have a reputation and a public profile of one who has withstood a lot of what those outside religious life would think is very unusual behavior on the part of certain members of the clergy. Certainly, the Catholic Church has had a very bad time for the past twenty years with scandals and misbehavior by clergy all over the world. You're known for having no patience with people who put themselves ahead of the laws of the Church, but what would you say now to Catholics who need comfort more than ever before because we're facing another tidal wave of scandals? Rome is beginning to make less and less sense to people. Even though the beautiful Latin Mass is coming back across the country in greater numbers, there is still a constant concerted effort on the part of bishops to make sure the Latin Mass is always said in the ghettoized areas of the city. Where we comprise an underground Church, the authorities seek to sow a sense of demoralization, a sense of depression. What does Fatima say to Catholics on how to pick themselves up?

F.G: First of all, we have the promise of Our Lady. She says:
"In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me. Russia will be converted and a period of peace given to mankind." In the first line, "In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph ..."
Our Lady is telling us that there will be a battle and it will be a hard battle. The winners are already known, it will be Our Lady and with Her, those who are on Her side. We have that promise in Genesis 3:15, that She will crush the serpent's head.

Our Lord says: "I have overcome the world."

Kenneths Story

2010-04-14T11:58:00.007+01:00

This is a true story that I would like to share. I feel God is telling me to share it with you as I have been putting it off.

Well its not a long story but here it goes, As you all know I turned back to God in early 2006, Since then I have prayed practically for the souls in purgatory as the need our help every day. Well in early December 07 I received some terrible news that a young friend of mine committed suicide, I was in shock its hard putting into words when you hear that devastating news.

The following day I started praying the Novena to the Scared heart of Jesus for my friend. The Novena prayer was recited everyday by Saint Padre Pio for all those who asked for his prayers.

Well at first my intentions were to pray it for nine days, well Christmas went by and soon it was the New Year then that rolled on into February and I was still saying it for my friend, then one morning after saying it, I said tomorrow I will say it for a different intention. Later that day the best way I can describe it was like a vision i could see my friend in front of me who I was praying for it lasted for a split second. I new God was telling me to keep saying the novena. I also remember at that time, I said to myself if I ever go to Medjugorje I would climb the mountain for this person.

As the year went on Spring went by and soon it was summer, in June we had booked our trip to Medjugorje in August. We arrived in Medjugorje while the youth festival was on it was fantastic the singing, listening to the testimonies of people and seeing all the young people from around the world.

Before I arrived in Medjugorje I said I would climb the mountain for my friend who I was praying for. At the end of the youth festival the celebrate mass on top of Cross Mountain at 5am, so on the Thursday morning about 2am our group started climbing the mountain and the priest who was with us give out the Stations Of The Cross for a particular intention as we moved up the mountain, at the Tenth Station we prayed for all suicides then suddenly a blast of heat came down on me and into my heart, I stood there motionless in the pitch dark afraid to move I was overwhelmed, then it went as quick as it came. I new as I climbed on up the mountain it was a Thank You.

I finished saying the Novena for that person when I came home, But you see the most amazing thing was God did not intended me to say the Novena for nine days not even Nine weeks but for nine months, God new I would be in Medjugorje on the ninth month of the novena.

Kenneth

Many thanks to Kenneth for sharing his story with us!This is the novena to the Sacred Heart Jesus said daily by Padre Pio for the intentions people requested him to pray for....

Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

I. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...... (here name your request)
Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of.......(here name your request)
Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

III. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away." Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of.....(here name your request)
Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father...Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.
Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.

The Story of Frederico Abresch

2010-04-05T22:26:00.003+01:00

Signor Federico Abresch was born into a Lutheran family in Germany. At the time of his marriage to a Catholic girl, he became a Catholic more as an accommodation to his wife's religion than out of sincere conviction. Hearing of Padre Pio as a great miracle worker, he went to visit him with skeptical curiosity. When he approached Padre Pio for confession, he was told of certain grave sins that were omitted in previous confessions. Abresch stated to Padre Pio that he thought confession was good 'psychologically' but he did not believe in the divinity of the sacrament. But, deeply moved by the fact that he had read his past life, he now believed. Signor Abresch stated:

"I was struck dumb with the overwhelming realization that I had come in contact with the supernatural. Then concealing his knowledge of my entire past under the form of questions he enumerated with precision and clarity all of my mortal sins. He made me understand, with most impressive words, the whole of their gravity, adding in a tone of voice that I shall never forget: 'You have launched a hymn to Satan, whereas Jesus, in His tremendous love, has broken Himself for you.' He then gave me a penance and absolved me. From that day to this I have been to daily Mass and Communion. Both I and my wife have become Franciscan tertiaries. Not only do I believe in the dogmas of the Catholic Church, but in everything she teaches. And I could not lose this faith without also losing my life."

Signor Abresch, like so many other converts of Padre Pio, decided to move to San Giovanni Rotondo where he could be near to the man who had completely changed his life. He became, so to speak, the official photographer of Padre Pio, and most of the pictures one sees of the famous stigmatist were taken by him. Both he and his son, Pio, served his Mass many times. Eventually his son became a priest in fulfillment of a prophecy of Padre Pio. According to this prophecy the boy was not only to be a priest but would some day be placed in a high position in the Church. Msgr. Pio Abresch is presently working in the Vatican. Frederico Abresch died in August, 1969, within a year of the death of his great spiritual father.

The story on Mr. Abresch was taken from the Immaculata magazine furnished by the National Centre for Padre Pio, Inc. http://www.olrl.org/lives/padrepio.shtml

Your stories of Padre Pio...

2010-04-04T21:36:00.003+01:00

I am introducing a new section where we can read each others testimonies and experiences of how St Pio has influenced our lives. If you send me your story to trshgn7@googlemail.com I will gladly include it. It doesn't have to be a huge miracle, sometimes the little things are more amazing!

2010-04-04T01:31:00.000+01:00

May Jesus and His Holy Mother Bless you all this Easter time!

Padre Pio Movie Images

2010-02-16T23:19:00.000Z

Absolutely beautiful movie images and photographs of Padre Pio from the early days....

http://www.conventopadrepio.com/it/component/content/article/34-padre-pio/94-benedizione-padre-pio.html

(click bottom right hand screen to enlarge)

Padre Pio, Priest and Victim

2010-02-05T22:39:00.001Z

Interesting article by Monsignor Arthur Burton Calkins "Padre Pio, Priest & Victim"
http://vultus.stblogs.org/2008/09/padre-pio-priest-and-victim.html

Statue of Baby Jesus travels from Holy Land to Padre Pio's monastery

2010-01-30T20:14:00.003Z

San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, Jan 29, 2010 / 02:49 am (CNA).- Marking the first time the statue has ever left its sanctuary in Bethlehem, the original wooden sculpture of the "Little Child" Jesus was brought by its guardian, Fr. Jerzy Kraj, to the Sanctuary of St. Giovanni Rotondo on Thursday. During its visit, the statue will be taken to the children's cancer ward of a hospital founded by St. Padre Pio.

"With immense joy," announced the Capuchin Minor Friars among whom Saint Pio lived, "we will live here, in San Giovanni Rotondo, a 'great event of faith.' "We’ll live again the profound devotion of Padre Pio," they exclaimed in an official release for the arrival of the baby Jesus figure. According to friars, "the idea of this initiative was born during a pilgrimage to Bethlehem guided last October by... (the) rector of the sanctuary, in memory of the profound devotion of Padre Pio of Pietralcina for that which he called 'the divine Infant.' After clearing the idea with the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, plans were made for the pilgrimage. The statue arrived by helicopter on Thursday afternoon to be welcomed by the Capuchin superiors and the mayor of San Giovanni Rotondo, later it was taken to Our Lady of Grace Shrine, where a Eucharistic celebration was held.

From Jan. 28 to Feb. 6, the "original and sacred statue of the Little Child of Bethlehem" will be in, and around, the Our Lady of Grace Shrine at San Giovanni Rotondo. At least six official pilgrimages are planned by area parishes and schools while the sculpture is there. The statue will also be taken in for a night at the Convent of the cloistered Capuchin Clarisse Sisters on Jan. 31, and on the night of Feb. 3 it will be at the House for the Relief of Suffering, the hospital founded by St. Pio. On its way back from the "House" to Our Lady of Grace the next morning, it will be taken through the pediatric oncology wing of the hospital, which is named after Pope John Paul II. After a solemn Mass on the evening of Feb. 6, the statue will be take to Rome and then back to Bethlehem the next morning. The statue was made in Olot, Spain in 1921 for the sanctuary in Bethlehem.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/statue_of_baby_jesus_travels_from_holy_land_to_padre_pios_monastery/

Padre Pio

2010-01-04T00:05:00.002Z

Bringing Christ into the world

2009-12-19T11:52:00.000Z

by Theresita Polzin
What is the place of our Lady in our lives? She was the first one to do the thing each one of us must do - she brought Christ into the world. That is the one major task we all have. His life began in her when she bowed to the will of the Father and accepted the Holy Spirit. She said yes, and Christ began to grow in her. Wherever she went and whatever she did formed Christ in her so that one day she could give Him to others - to the world. Lord, that is the goal of my life - to say yes to the Father so that the Holy Spirit, working in me, will enable me to bring Jesus to everyone I meet.

The Rosary Walk

2009-12-17T00:46:00.002Z

Padre Pio and his family used to walk the four kilometers from their home in Pietrelcina to their small farm plot in Piana Romana. While they walked, they used to say the rosary together. It became known fondly as 'The Rosary Walk'. It was later paved with cobbles and marked at certain places with a cross, representing the various scriptures represented by the 15 'decades'. This media presentation takes us from the town, past the bridge and ends in Piana Romana with a last view looking again at Pietrelcina.

St Pio's prophecy

2009-12-17T00:40:00.001Z

Ave Maria!

Recently the 'Italian' Roving Reporter had a chance to catch up with Friar Anthony M. Servium at Villa Santa Lucia in Italy. Friar Anthony recounted a fascinating story regarding Padre Pio and his prophecy that a new shrine would be built between the town of Pietrelcina and the cave where the Archangel St. Michael appeared many centuries ago. Guess which religious order (apparently) has the privilege of fulfilling this prophecy? We also hope you enjoy some of the beautiful scenes of the friars' hike to the town of Monte Sant'Angelo.

December Prayer Group Reflection

2009-12-15T17:02:00.007Z

by Fr. Francis A. Sariego

Dear Spiritual Children and Friends of Padre Pio,
The Lord give you His peace!

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to…Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph…the virgin’s name was Mary…The angel said to Her: O highly favored…The Lord is with you. Blessed are you…Do not fear…You shall conceive and bear a son and name him Jesus…The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you…the holy offspring to be born will be called Son of God…Nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1: 26-38)

Those brief words tell of the most central moment in the history of humanity. Mankind reached a point of no return. Time itself would be calculated from all that followed that moment. Almighty God took the initiative to fulfill the promise He made humanity millennia before. God’s creatures turned their back on God in Eden; God turned His Face towards them promising that all would be restored in due time. He, their Almighty and Loving Creator, Life-Giver, their Eternal Father would personally come to their rescue. Disobedience and arrogance would be overcome by the obedience and humility that only a loving God - a Loving “Parent” - could accomplish. The process would be long (until the end of the age) and arduous (the Son of Man must be rejected and die). Rebellious human beings - systematically oblivious to God’s Love, Mercy and Providence - will challenge the fulfillment of God’s Promise for them until the end of time. Prophetic words, powerful signs, and miracles all seem ineffective over the centuries leading to the moment of God’s explosive yet gentle entrance into time. God once again takes the initiative to “reconnect” with His Children, and the Creator becomes a creature. God becomes one with humanity so that humanity can become one with God.

The simplicity and calm of God’s entrance into human history as one of His own creatures did not detract from the impact of this “explosion of love”. Sin and its consequences were killing man’s soul, and God would love us to Life. Love is stronger than death. Eternal Love made Flesh would restore to humanity what the erosion of sin had taken from the human heart. The new ground of a renewed spirit would blossom into a Presence that would “overshadow” with increasing power the darkness that had overwhelmed the human heart. Eventually humility and love will topple the great idol (cfr. Book of Daniel) that people have been constructing since the beginning of time and will calm the rebellion of God’s children to their Father’s Will in Eden. Arrogance and self-centeredness, disregard for the One Who is the Giver of life, will eventually and trustingly yield to the God Who journeys with His People. This Mystery of Redemption and “Miracle” of Love begins with the “overshadowing” of the Holy Spirit, just as it did at the beginning of Creation, when the Spirit of God “overshadowed” the nothingness. This “overshadowing” has continued and will continue till the end of time. Every time the priest “overshadows” the gifts of bread and wine with his hands and invokes the power of the Holy Spirit to renew the Sacrifice of Calvary, God becomes one with creation. His Presence is “Real” - the Real Presence of Jesus, the Son of God, in the Eucharist - for nothing is impossible with God.

The “overshadowing” presence invoked eclipses the brightest of any light and offers the condition for the greatest mystery and “miracle” to take place. At the word of a mere servant - at the service of all God’s People - wherever this “overshadowing” takes place, the re-presentation of Calvary renews the Promise and the “challenge” to “return to the future” and become who we were created to be. The priest repeats the words that Jesus said at table with His Apostles the night before He died. Taking the bread he says: This is my Body given for you; and taking the chalice he says: This is the cup of my blood poured out for you. Bread becomes flesh; wine becomes blood. Separate in Sacrifice, one in Sacrament, Jesus is once again and always present in created matter with us. The “Overshadowing Presence” of the Holy Spirit now, and as we receive the Lord in Communion, consecrates us in Jesus that we become, each according to our cooperation with grace, an image of that Jesus who continues to journey with His Pilgrim People. His Presence encourages, enlarges and enlivens our lives.

We have heard it said so often, You cannot separate the Crib from the Cross. Advent, with all its flamboyance of colors, lights, sounds, gifts, food, and the like, is always a season of joyful expectation for One Who was born to die. A somber reality intended to instill joy rather than sadness. The purpose of His birth was that He might teach us the love of the Father without end by showing us the depth of love in His own Sacrifice on Calvary. From Bethlehem to Calvary the life of Jesus is “overshadowed” by the bright promise of the Cross. This instrument of torture was used to express the disdain and total disregard that one people had for the integrity and dignity of another - the Romans toward the Jews. The Edict of Caesar Augustus demanded a census that disregarded the dangers and hardships simple, conquered, and displaced people would have to endure. God, Who writes straight on crooked lines, used this moment in time to fulfill His Promise to the world and begin the “Process” of our Redemption. The Cross, from the outset, would always loom in the background until it was placed on His shoulders to fulfill the last part of the “Process” and be the “Key” that would open to a new Life for everyone who accepted His message.

The angels to the shepherds on the hillside of Bethlehem sang, Glory to God in the highest and peace to His people on earth. No one would then, or even can today, understand this peace until they saw with the eyes of faith the new life in the Crib overshadowed by New Life through the Cross, and accept to let the Holy Spirit “overshadow” each one with His transforming power. The word is powerful! - “Overshadow”. It means that we are spiritually enveloped - embraced - and become totally immersed in the One Whom we offer and receive; then, as He, we are sent to be the Father’s love, mercy, and providence to a waiting world. The Spirit that overshadowed the “nothingness” at Creation, that overshadowed Mary at the Incarnation, that overshadows the bread and wine at the Consecration, is the same Holy Spirit that overshadows our hearts and souls to become the One Whom we offer and receive. Do we ever take time to reflect how much we are a part of the great mystery of the Eucharist? Do we priests especially consider what an awesome privilege and responsibility we have for and with the People of God?! O admirable exchange! God becomes one with man that man might become one with God! … Nothing is impossible to God!

When the priest raises his hands over the Gifts before the Consecration to invoke the Spirit’s power, like the power of the Father Creator he calls out of the “littleness” - the “nothingness” - of the bread and wine for the Almighty Lord of lords and King of kings to re-present by His Divine Presence that one great Saving Act of Love that turned Creation back on its course to Him. The faithful associate themselves with the words of the priest and acclaim their consent to become one with the Victim. Christ is re-presented in all His saving grace for us to Come, let us adore Him!

We must ask the Holy Spirit to “overshadow” us with His transforming presence and gifts, as Padre Pio writes to his spiritual daughter Raffaellina Cerase (23 October 1914): this is the finest grace that can be asked by and on behalf of those who aspire to the spiritual life, namely, an increase of heavenly light…which is directly infused by God…we must ask the Spirit, the Comforter, to enlighten us with regard to three great truths in particular. Firstly, to make us unceasingly aware of the excellence of our Christian vocation. The fact of having been chosen, having been elected among innumerable others and knowing that without any merit on our part, this choice, this election was decided by God from all eternity, ‘before the foundation of the world’…Secondly, let us pray that He may enlighten us more and more as to the immensity of the eternal inheritance which has been reserved for us by the goodness of the heavenly Father…Finally, let us pray to the Father of all light to enable us to penetrate more and more deeply into the mystery of our justification…our justification is such an enormous miracle that sacred Scripture compares it to the Resurrection of our divine Master…

As Spiritual Children of Padre Pio, let us listen to what Padre Pio is telling Raffaelina; he is telling us as well. We must be open the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. His power must be the “overshadowing” force that enlightens our lives to the reality of God’s wonderful creation and His Presence in our midst. That same force of the Spirit brings out of the littleness of our frail human nature an image of Jesus. His birth as an infant charted the course of human events, challenged those who knew and know Him, and changed the lives of those who trustingly accepted the invitation. We too must appreciate and be grateful for the gift and dignity of our Catholic Christian faith; keep our hearts focused on the wonderful promise of Eternal Life for the faithful; pray that the Holy Spirit’s “overshadowing” presence may assure us a share in Life with our Redeemer King, Whose Birthday we celebrate.

May the joy of this Advent Season of Great Expectations of the One Who has already come and will come again in the fullness of His glory, make us more aware of His Divine Presence in our midst. The Eucharist the priest offers immerses us with the gifts consecrated to become a “consecrated people” by the “overshadowing” of the Holy Spirit, that Christ may be born each day in the hearts of all. It is in the Eucharist and through it that we can sing with the angels, Glory to God in the highest and peace to His people on earth; and recognizing His Presence among us we can acclaim with the people of Jerusalem who hailed His entrance with palm and olive branches six days before Calvary, Hosanna, Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord, Hosanna! Yes! Glory and Peace at the Crib…Hosanna and Grace at the Cross…Eternal Life and Joy at the Resurrection. What a powerful and beautiful story, crucial and incisive message, eternal and loving relationship Christmas initiates for all who see the effects of the overshadowing presence of the Spirit in the Child of Bethlehem, JESUS THE LORD.

May you and your loved ones have a most blessed and happy Christmas. May the Christ Child help you discover the simplicity and joy of this season, in the love of the Infant Savior, and share it, as the greatest gift you can give anyone. God bless you; Our Lady and St. Joseph guide, guard, and protect you; and Padre Pio watch over each one of you, his Spiritual Children, with loving care.

Peace and Blessings in the Christ Child,

Fr. Francis A. Sariego, O.F.M. Cap.
National Coordinator

Dear Children...

2009-12-14T02:11:00.001Z

The 13th Day

2009-12-14T01:19:00.002Z

Fr James Roots talks about Padre Pio miracle

2009-12-14T01:04:00.003Z

Breath of Heaven

2009-12-12T01:53:00.002Z

This lovely Youtube clip shows the scene from the beautiful film "The Nativity Story" from which the above photo still was taken, and also features Amy Grant singing "Breath of Heaven". Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPbV_HTpyx0

Star of Bethlehem...

2009-12-10T23:32:00.008Z

"I keep my eyes fixed on the East, in the night which surrounds me, to discover that miraculous star which guided our forebears to the grotto of Bethlehem."

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him... Then Herod...inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem... When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy."

Loving mother of the Redeemer, gate of heaven, star of the sea, assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator,yet remained a virgin after as before.
You received Gabriel’s joyful greeting, have pity on us poor sinners.

Padre Pio's Christmas Meditation

2009-12-08T11:20:00.003Z

Appearing in volume four of the Italian-language edition of Padre Pio's letters, this essay was taken from Padre Pio's hand-written notebooks. "Padre Pio da Pietrelcina: Epistolario IV," Edizioni Padre Pio, San Giovanni Rotondo, 2002, pages 1007-1009. Translated by Frank M. Rega, December 2005.

Far into the night, at the coldest time of the year, in a chilly grotto, more suitable for a flock of beasts than for humans, the promised Messiah – Jesus – the savior of mankind, comes into the world in the fullness of time.

There are none who clamor around him: only an ox and an ass lending their warmth to the newborn infant; with a humble woman, and a poor and tired man, in adoration beside him. Nothing can be heard except the sobs and whimpers of the infant God. And by means of his crying and weeping he offers to the Divine justice the first ransom for our redemption.

He had been expected for forty centuries; with longing sighs the ancient Fathers had implored his arrival. The sacred scriptures clearly prophesy the time and the place of his birth, and yet the world is silent and no one seems aware of the great event. Only some shepherds, who had been busy watching over their sheep in the meadows, come to visit him. Heavenly visitors had alerted them to the wondrous event, inviting them to approach his cave.

So plentiful, O Christians, are the lessons that shine forth from the grotto of Bethlehem! Oh how our hearts should be on fire with love for the one who with such tenderness was made flesh for our sakes! Oh how we should burn with desire to lead the whole world to this lowly cave, refuge of the King of kings, greater than any worldly palace, because it is the throne and dwelling place of God! Let us ask this Divine child to clothe us with humility, because only by means of this virtue can we taste the fullness of this mystery of Divine tenderness.

Glittering were the palaces of the proud Hebrews. Yet, the light of the world did not appear in one of them. Ostentatious with worldly grandeur, swimming in gold and in delights, were the great ones of the Hebrew nation; filled with vain knowledge and pride were the priests of the sanctuary. In opposition to the true meaning of Divine revelation, they awaited an officious savoir, who would come into the world with human renown and power.

But God, always ready to confound the wisdom of the world, shatters their plans. Contrary to the expectations of those lacking in Divine wisdom, he appears among us in the greatest abjection, renouncing even birth in St. Joseph’s humble home, denying himself a modest abode among relatives and friends in a city of Palestine. Refused lodging among men, he seeks refuge and comfort among mere animals, choosing their habitation as the place of his birth, allowing their breath to give warmth to his tender body. He permits simple and rustic shepherds to be the first to pay their respects to him, after he himself informed them, by means of his angels, of the wonderful mystery.

Oh wisdom and power of God, we are constrained to exclaim – enraptured along with your Apostle – how incomprehensible are your judgments and unsearchable your ways! Poverty, humility, abjection, contempt, all surround the Word made flesh. But we, out of the darkness that envelops the incarnate Word, understand one thing, hear one voice, perceive one sublime truth: you have done everything out of love, you invite us to nothing else but love, speak of nothing except love, give us naught except proofs of love.

The heavenly babe suffers and cries in the crib so that for us suffering would be sweet, meritorious and accepted. He deprives himself of everything, in order that we may learn from him the renunciation of worldly goods and comforts. He is satisfied with humble and poor adorers, to encourage us to love poverty, and to prefer the company of the little and simple rather than the great ones of the world.

This celestial child, all meekness and sweetness, wishes to impress in our hearts by his example these sublime virtues, so that from a world that is torn and devastated an era of peace and love may spring forth. Even from the moment of his birth he reveals to us our mission, which is to scorn that which the world loves and seeks.

Oh let us prostrate ourselves before the manger, and along with the great St. Jerome, who was enflamed with the love of the infant Jesus, let us offer him all our hearts without reserve. Let us promise to follow the precepts which come to us from the grotto of Bethlehem, which teach us that everything here below is vanity of vanities, nothing but vanity.

Welcoming the Christ Child

2009-11-30T22:50:00.003Z

by Renzo Allegri

All those who knew Padre Pio and spent time with him agree that Christmas was the liturgical feast which he most appreciated. He would prepare for this feast meticulously, and celebrate it with an enthusiasm that was enchanting. This he would do every year, both as a young man and when he was old. Fr. Ignazio da Ielsi, the guardian of the convent at San Giovanni Rotondo from 1922 to 1925, when Padre Pio was still young and had just received the stigmata, wrote in his diary: It is unnecessary to say with what passion Padre Pio celebrates Christmas. He thinks about it all the time. He counts the days to go from one Christmas or the next. The Baby Jesus holds a special attraction for him. It is enough for him to hear a Christmas carol or a lullaby and his spirit soars. To look at him you’d think he were in ecstasy.

Pio’s Midnight Mass

Padre Pio was always a humble and reserved friar. He never asked anything for himself, considering himself the least among his brothers. But he loved the privilege of celebrating the Midnight Mass at Christmas in the little church at San Giovanni Rotondo. Since this was a solemn Mass, the privilege of celebrating it would have normally been reserved for the guardian, but knowing how dear that particular Mass was to Padre Pio, successive guardians always allowed him to celebrate it.
It was a celebration which always made a profound impression on those fortunate enough to attend. It was indeed a long Mass, sometimes only finishing at five o’clock in the morning.
The friary itself was very difficult to reach, especially in the 1920s and 1930s. The road was a rocky mule path which led from the residential part of the city to the friary and in winter, it was almost always covered in snow and ice. Even so, many people would undertake the journey in order to attend Padre Pio’s Christmas Mass.

Before Mass, Padre Pio would greet those attending, and his face would already seem to be transfigured. Lucia Iadanza, one of his spiritual daughters, remembers an extraordinary thing which happened on the night of December 24, 1922. The friars had brought an enormous brazier into the sacristy and many people were standing around it in order to keep warm. We were reciting the rosary while waiting for the Mass. Padre Pio was praying with us. All of a sudden, in an aura of light, I saw the Baby Jesus appear in his arms. Padre Pio was transfigured, his eyes gazing upon the glowing child in his arms, his face transformed by an astonished smile. When the vision disappeared, Padre Pio realised from the way I was looking at him that I had seen everything. But he drew close to me and told me not to mention it to anyone.

Witness to a similar event was Fr. Raffaele da Sant’Elia, who lived in the room next to Padre Pio for 35 years. I had got up to go to the church for the Midnight Mass of 1924. The corridor was huge and dark, and the only illumination was the flame of a small oil lamp. Through the shadows I could see that Padre Pio, too, was making his way to the church. He had left his room and was making his way slowly along the corridor. I realised he was swathed in a band of light. I took a better look and saw that he had the Baby Jesus in his arms. I just stood there, transfixed, in the doorway of my room, and fell to my knees. Padre Pio passed by, all aglow. He didn’t even notice I was there.

Born again

We do not know how Padre Pio himself felt in those moments. He was very reserved, almost jealously so, of his spiritual life. However, we can get some information from his private correspondence. One day he wrote to his confessor: May the Heavenly Child let your heart feel all those holy emotions that he allowed me to experience that blessed night when he was laid in that little hovel. Goodness, I could hardly express what I felt in my heart on that most happy night. My heart was overflowing with holy love towards God made man.

To Raffaelina Cerase, another spiritual daughter, he wrote: When the Holy Novena begins in honour of the Baby Jesus, it felt as though my spirit were being born again to a new life. I felt as though my heart were too small to embrace all our heavenly blessings. My soul felt as though it were disintegrating in the presence of our God who had become man. How can we not love Him forever with a fervour that never grows stale? Let us open our hearts to the Baby Jesus whose soul was without the stain of sin and we will taste how sweet and soave it is to love Him.

His brother friars remember that Padre Pio wanted the crib in their church to be placed opposite the confessional so that he could see it while he administered the sacrament of penance. He would remain in the confessional for hours and hours each day, his gaze fixed on the statue of the Baby Jesus.

The crib

Padre Pio practised this great devotion to the crib, which is so reminiscent of Saint Francis, even as a child when he lived with his parents. At his home in Pietrelcina, he always wanted to prepare the crib himself. He would start work on it as early as October. While he pastured the family’s flock of sheep with his friends, he would search for the clay which he would use to fashion the small statues of shepherds, sheep, and the other characters which he would place in the crib scene. He became very quick and accomplished in this task, and would prepare statuettes for his friends, too.

He would take particular care when making the model of the Baby Jesus. He would make and re-make the Christ-child continually, remembered one of his playmates, Luigi Orlando. When he had finished he would place the statue on the palm of his hand and say; ‘It isn’t as I wanted it.’ He would then roll the statue into a ball of clay again, and make another statue more to his liking. The young Francesco, the future Padre Pio, wanted his crib scene to be as beautiful as possible. He also wished to light it up to make the scene as evocative as possible. At that time in Pietrelcina, there was no electricity and it was necessary to use oil lights. They had to be very small to enable Francesco to insert them in the moss, next to the tiny houses and beside the flocks of sheep.

The ingeniousness of the young boy was remarkable for those times. Francisco and his friends had learned to make lights made from snail shells. They would look for empty shells in the fields, clean them well, fill them with oil, add a wick and they would thus have a magnificent little lantern. For Padre Pio, every Christmas was an occasion for spiritual renewal. It helped him and encouraged him to nurture within himself that unconditional love for humanity that the occasion symbolised, above all his love for the most humble, the poor and the suffering.

Stay with me, Lord

2009-11-28T01:11:00.001Z

Prayer of St. Pio of Pietrelcina after Holy Communion

Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You.
You know how easily I abandon You.
Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light, and without You, I am in darkness.
Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.
Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.
Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your company.
Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.
Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is, I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of love.

Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close, and life passes;
death, judgment, eternity approaches. It is necessary to renew my strength, so that I will not stop along the way and for that, I need You.
It is getting late and death approaches, I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows. O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile!
Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all it’s dangers. I need You.
Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of the bread,
so that the Eucharistic Communion be the Light which disperses the darkness,
the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart.

Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to You, if not by communion, at least by grace and love.
Stay with me, Jesus, I do not ask for divine consolation, because I do not merit it, but the gift of Your Presence, oh yes, I ask this of You!
Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for, Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart,
Your Spirit, because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more.
With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity. Amen.

Testimony of St. Pio's Miraculous Intervention

2009-11-24T12:21:00.003Z

The Miracle Accepted by the Vatican for Padre Pio's Canonization!

The personal testimony of the mother of Matteo Colella, the little boy declared by the Church to have been miraculously cured through the intervention of Padre Pio.

In February 2002, Voce di Padre Pio, the official magazine for the cause of Padre Pio, (published by Padre Pio's Friary in San Giovanni Rotondo), featured this wonderful love story in a ten-page article.

http://www.sanpadrepio.com/Matteo.htm