#happy feast day St Padre Pio

[krist-420]

HAPPY FEAST DAY St Padre Pio !

[meegan420]

Happy Feast Day St Padre Pio

[pamphletstoinspire]

Meditations of St. Padre Pio – Part 3

Padre Pio was at the height of his priestly apostolate with multitudes of pilgrims visiting him, for his Mass, to confess to him, and to ask him for prayers and counsel. He was a master of souls; he directed everyone with penetrating words full of deep meaning. His series of "Meditations" was the first complete text of Padre Pio's thoughts. These texts consists of Padre Pio's meditations upon the fundamental dogmas of the Catholic faith. The Immaculate Conception and the Incarnation of Jesus. He then relives Jesus' agony in the garden of olives. Next he reflects on the human condition, and on our need to turn to God in the passing of our days. These are not conventional texts; they are reflections derived from the contemplation of the absolute Truth. “Mary Immaculate” is a more theological text. The others are more human and simple.

Padre Pio, in the first years of his residence in San Giovanni Rotondo (1918 – 1920), when he was freer from the care of souls, wrote a few meditations for his novices and his spiritual daughters of the Franciscan Third Order. They were the text of his lectures or instructions that he gave weekly as their Spiritual Director. After that, between the years 1925 – 1928, Padre Pio compiled other meditations. Fr. Agostino of San Marco in Lamis affirms it in his "Diary:" The Provincial, Fr. Bernardo of Alpicella, once suggested to Padre Pio to “compile a few meditations for the principal feasts of the year for our seminarians.” When Padre Pio was shown the possibility of publishing these meditations, he said: "I have written these things for myself." But, when it was explained to him that "they would do a lot of good to our souls" he smilingly said: "if it is as you say, bonum est diffu sivum sui (good, by its nature, is destined to be spread).

Meditation - New Year's Day

J. M. J. – D. F. C. Note: The initials J. M. J. – D. F. C. Stands for Jesus, Mary, Joseph – Dominic, Francis, Catherine

Let us begin today, brothers, to do good, for we have done nothing up to the present. At the beginning of this New Year, let us make our own these words which in his humility our Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi applied to himself. It is indeed true that we have done nothing up to the present, or if we have done something it is very little. The years have come and gone and we have not asked ourselves how we have spent them, if there was anything to be rectified in our actions, nothing to be added or to be taken away. We have been living thoughtlessly, regardless of the fact that the eternal Judge will ask us one day for an account of our actions and how we have spent our time. Yet we shall have to give a very strict account of every minute, of every movement of grace, of each holy inspiration, of each chance we had to do good. Even the slightest transgression of God's holy law will be taken into consideration. Wretched creature's that we are, shall we not find ourselves saying in fear and trembling before God's justice: O mountains, fall down upon me; O earth, open and swallow me up, for I tremble in the presence of the Most High?

Then if God should pronounce this sentence: Depart, you faithless servant into everlasting fire, all will be over for us forever, or rather there will begin for us a period without end, of most atrocious sufferings and incomprehensible agony. We would then want to recall even a single minute from the past in order to make reparation, to expiate our sins. We would be happy to remain for centuries and centuries in that dreadful prison if only it were granted to us in the end to come back to this world and make better use of our time.

But once our final hour has struck, once our heart ceases to beat all will be over for us and we shall no longer be able to either to acquire merit or to lose it. Exactly as death finds us we shall have to appear before Christ, our Judge. Our cries of supplication, our tears, our desire to repent, which while we were still on earth would have appealed to the heart of God and with the aid of the sacraments might have made us saints instead of sinners will then be of no avail. The hour of mercy is past and the hour of justice has begun.

A single word, or rather two words will sum up our eternal future: Never, never! Forever, forever! Never, never again will you be able to enjoy the delightful vision of God. Never again will you have as your friends the Most Holy Virgin Mary and all the saints. Never again will you have by your side that protecting angel to whose constant loving reminders you were deaf and rebellious during life. Never again will you be united with those dear ones whom you loved on earth but whose holy life you hadn't the strength to imitate. Never again will you receive the grace to see Jesus resplendent with glory coming towards you to show you the shining wounds in his sacred hands and feet and in his adorable side, from which all his divine blood flowed in order to redeem you. You trampled on it when you had it in your possession and might have availed of it for yourself and for many sinners like you. Now you plead an appeal for one drop of that blood, but this will not be granted to you either today or ever again. Forever you will be in the company of the damned. Your eyes will look with terror on the most dreadful sights. Your ears will hear the most inconceivable and horrifying blasphemies, all your senses will be tormented in an indescribable manner. Your soul, unable to see and enjoy God, its infinite good, will in its dreadful suffering curse itself and its God and this will continue for ever and ever.

O God of my soul, what a sad fate awaits me if I do not decide to change my way of life and to set great store by the time you grant me in your goodness. He who has time must not wait for time; let us not put off till tomorrow what we can do today. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and moreover, who can tell if we shall still be alive tomorrow? Let us listen to the voice of conscience, to the voice of the royal Prophet: O that today you would listen to his voice. Harden not your hearts. Let us rise up and set great store by time, for every fleeting moment is in our power. Let us not try to interpose time between one instant and the next for it is not in our power to do so. By divine grace we are at the dawn of a new year and only God knows if we shall see the end of this year. We must use every moment of it to make amends for the past, to make resolutions for the future and side-by-side with good resolutions must go holy works. Oh, yes, let us do this, so that when we have obtained eternal happiness for ourselves we may delight the most tender Heart of Jesus and stimulate our brothers to do good. Encouraged by our example, they too will walk in the way of justice and love.

Fully convinced that we are telling the truth let us say to ourselves: My soul, begin today to do good, for up to the present you have done nothing. Let us act in such a way as to move in God's presence. Let us frequently repeat to ourselves: God sees me, and in the act of seeing me he also judges me. Let us make sure that he never sees in us anything but good. Let us be forearmed against the world and against our passions which will try like ferocious beasts to deprive us of eternal bliss, and in our weakness let us not lack confidence in the divine assistance. God, whom we have resolved to see and keep constantly before us, is always ready to come to our aid. Invariably faithful to his promises and seeing how resolutely we are fighting, he will send his angels to sustain us in our trial. The palm of glory is reserved for those only who have fought valiantly to the end. Let us therefore begin our holy combat this year. God will assist us and will crown us with eternal victory.

Thanks be to God!

[piouscatholic]

Prayer to Mary as Our Lady of Graces Padre Pio’s favourite

Happy Feast Day St Padre Pio💐🌻🏵🌼

#PrayForUs

[portraitsofsaints]

Happy Feast Day Saint Padre Pio

1887 - 1968 Feast Day: September 23 Patronage: Civil defense volunteers, Catholic adolescents St. Pio of Pietrelcina, was a Capuchin Catholic priest from Italy. He was born Francesco Forgione, and given the name Pius when he joined the Capuchins, thus he is popularly known as Padre Pio. He became famous for bearing the stigmata. He also had the gift of reading souls and the ability to bilocate, among other supernatural phenomena. On 16 June 2002, he was canonized by Pope John Paul II.

{website}

[whooolaanmo]

Happy Feast Day St. Padre Pio 🙏🏻

Heavenly Father, I thank you for loving me.

I thank you for sending your Son,

Our Lord Jesus Christ, to the world to save and to set me free.

I trust in your power and grace that sustain and restore me.

Loving Father, touch me now with your healing hands, for I believe that your will is for me to be well in mind, body, soul and spirit.

Cover me with the most precious blood of your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ from the top of my head to the soles of my feet.

Cast anything that should not be in me.

Root out any unhealthy and abnormal cells.

Open any blocked arteries or veins and rebuild and replenish any damaged areas.

Remove all inflammation and cleanse any infection by the power of Jesus’ precious blood.

Let the fire of your healing love pass through my entire body to heal and make new any diseased areas so that my body will function the way you created it to function.

Touch also my mind and my emotion, even the deepest recesses of my heart.

Saturate my entire being with your presence, love, joy and peace and draw me ever closer to you every moment of my life.

And Father, fill me with your Holy Spirit and empower me to do your works, so that my life will bring glory and honour to your holy name.

I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen. 🙏🏻

Healing Prayer for all of Us 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Feast Day of St. Padre Pio 🙏🏻

Sept. 23, 2021

[ettawritesnstudies]

All Hallows Ask Game

For those of you who might not know, Halloween is traditionally a Catholic feast day for the eve of All Saints and All Souls which are some of my favorite holidays! Just to clarify a common misconception: Catholics don’t worship the saints. They’re like older siblings who you can ask for help/advice and try to follow their good example of a Christian life. So in the spirit of the holiday, I thought I’d put together a fun game so people can learn some Cool History! Put a number in my askbox, and I’ll tell you the story of that person! 

There’s 31 of them, for October 31, but they’re not listed in any particular order otherwise. There’s hundreds of canonized saints, so I couldn’t include them all here, but most of these are stories that I know off the top of my head and find really inspiring! I’ll try to include sources for more reading in my answers too, so that way if you find their stories interesting too, you can look into it more :)

St. Catherine of Alexandria

St. Monica

St. Augustine

St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Catherine of Siena

St. Francis of Assisi

Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto

St. Christopher

St. Theresa of Lisieux

St. Sebastian

St. Joan of Arc

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

St. Kateri Tekakwitha

St. Juan Diego

St. Maximilian Kolbe

St. Dymphna

St. Faustina Kowalska

St. Catherine of Laboure

St. Ignatius Loyola

Sts. Cyril and Methodius

St. Blaise

St. Francis Xavier Cabrini

St. Stephan

St. Helena

St. Lawrence

St. John Neumann

St. Isadore of Seville

St. Dismas

St. Padre Pio

St. George

St. Thomas Moore

Happy Halloween everyone!

[annajeanf]

Happy Feast Day, our dear Patron Saint Padre Pio! 🎉💖 We are all so elated to celebrate the feast day like the old days again. 💐 We've waited for 2 years for this. Thank you, St. Pio, for being our intercessor. Grateful for every prayer that has been answered. I will forever sing praises. 💕🎶 9.23.22 (at Philippine Centre for St. Pio of Pietrelcina) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci2ru2rp0_P/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[teachersilke]

Happy Feast Day, St Padre Pio. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci1o1vDu-65hWvNT36-0ufdg9vBtq8JAgOLnfs0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[trissiecorpus]

Happy Feast Day, St Padre Pio (23 September) 🙏🏻 https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci1I2KxvY7hm_iSU6k-UuYmYUZ2oqyFGLaoo6U0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[daughterofamercifulfather-blog]

Padre Pio and Sunflowers?HELP NEEDED- RESEARCH DEAD-END. But Popping Up Everywhere!

Padre Pio and Sunflowers?

I am new to this site, it is foreign to me. But, I must try because it is driving me crazy. I love Padre Pio, or I have a special devotion to him. I have never been to San Giovanni Rotunda- Our Lady of Grace Monastery.  But, a few years back, a friend and I took a few hour road trip to go on a silent retreat for the weekend for an order for lay people.We were lucky to be considered, and eventually accepted as we were just considering the order, not made any official vows, or pledged formation. I was dragged by a very pious friend, who knows everything about theology, and had only been a Catholic for about 2 years. She is going to be a nun. We did realize that this weekend was going to be full of those much older than us, but the retreat leader, one my friend really wanted to see, was even older and I didn’t see the thrill to be honest. I was not looking forward to it, the idea of a SILENT retreat, with elderly people (no offense, most of my greatest friends, even best have been elderly) and a bunch of talks by a Msgr. close to 90? It didn’t sound enticing, at all. But the Msgr., as I was told, had encountered many modern day saints, was spiritually advised by them, or spiritually advised those who would become saints. When we pulled in, the people were the age I expected, but very gracious and welcoming, so welcoming- as the silence hadn’t quite begun. But as I looked at the itinerary and saw the charismatic nature of this retreat, or explanation of gifts of the Holy Spirit when my friend and a seminary friend, along with a priest we all love and adored who is a walking saint, have forced me to attend some of the most confusing things I have ever seen that were “Healing and Gifts” or “National Charismatic Conference for Your Prayer for this Gift from the Spirit” conferences, I was ready to leave. And then, the lock-down came, a sniper on the lose, right in that very area decided he was going to hide in the woods from the police. So, while there were lovely stations, a grotto, to beautiful weather outside, we were given St. Benedict Medals and locked in. But, oddly enough, for all my griping (it is a temperament God gave me according to the book with that title and I am trying to come out of it), that was one of the best retreats I ever attended. And the Msgr., who I feared would be old and boring, was not at all- quite youthful! Entertaining! And, according to him, possessed every gift and fruit of the Holy Spirit except raising from the dead. He was a modern-day mystic. And, while I have not known of Padre Pio forever, I knew of him, and that was one of the saints he encountered as a young priest. Imagine that! He has told all about his experience, how Padre Pio stared into his soul, and whatever he did, he surely made that Msgr. a gift to the Church, the world, to future and current priests, organizations, orders and regular people in need. And he still goes strong today. 

But, of the many blessings to come from that retreat was a woman I happened to meet. My friend and I were asked to fit a third person in our room, which we said sure, and thinking she would be elderly, we thought she would need to be close to the bathroom. Walker, oxygen tank, you never know. And I don’t say this jokingly, we were being sincere in our concern. But in walked this beautiful blond woman, in her mid-forties, who was there not because of order, but on an invite from the Msgr. We gave our introductions before the grand silence, and she was anxiously awaiting a call from her daughter who had just interviewed for a job out of college. The retreat began, and we got into it, and we’d go back on breaks in our room to rest, and this woman, she broke the code, well we all did, we had, too. It was too much to digest to yourself. But when you’re lying there and reflecting and she casually says she was writing a musical about....I can’t tell you :) Well, I can, but web page is not up. We became friends immediately, as I wanted to BURST into SONG! Though she lives a few states away, about five hours, I’d be there in a heartbeat for her. Her story is on the Resurrection of Jesus and the World Premiere was in the small town in June 2017. I made sure I was there, every night, and what an accomplishment! It’s an incredible story, I’ve never been so happy, so elated for someone, who went through so much, especially criticism for it being a religious play. They put her through the ringer. But, it was beautiful. I cried with elation for it to be on stage, with pride for my friend that God brought into my life and with tears because of such beauty in every scene.  If there is a private message thing on here by chance, I will tell you the name and FB page if interested. And a website is coming soon, that’s where I come in!

But, I am helping her with marketing and PR, beginning stages. As I am a musical theater fanatic! Plus, you do anything to help people (which by the way, if you are a musical person, know production, directing, actor, or know how to contact big names like Andrew Lloyd Weber as I will get to him for her, but please reach out, as this is a story that needs to be on a bigger stage!). She knows the Msgr.’s connection to Padre Pio and my love of him. But, as I am making up this strategic plan for her these last few weeks, marketing plan, whatever you want to call it, one thing you should know is that her show features a lot of Sunflowers in it- there is a message on the imagery of that. Well, I like to make plans with quotes, and if I remember any lines from the show, which luckily I do, though now she’s sent me a DVD, I’m right back in the front row in June 2017! But, Padre Pio would come up with sunflowers. And I tried finding out, I know that’s what they do in certain countries, or devout ethnic towns in big cities in the U.S. (where I am), Saint Processions for his feast day. But, The Padre Pio Foundation sells coasters that are sunflowers, there is a site called pioprints.com that sells cards of saints quotes, and Padre Pio’s card, or notebook has sunflowers. And I did briefly find a story in a different language, kind of, but I wasn’t sure. 

Is there a connection between Padre Pio and sunflowers? Or have I gone completely mad? Actually, I think it’s how I found this site- it led me to something regarding sunflowers, which is saved somewhere. But, I e-mailed all the foundations and stores, but no one has gotten back to me. I mean, if it’s in a book, I’ll get the book, I just have to know. But if not, fine, I’m crazy, I’m used to that! 

Thank you whoever reads this (if I do it right). And should anyone of you have the gift of seeing Padre Pio in your dreams, or smelling his perfume, I hope you know how blessed you are. And please, give him my thanks. 

Blessings!

[pamphletstoinspire]

Ed. Note: Today, September 23, 2018 marks the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Passing of St. Padre Pio into Eternal Life. Happy Feast Day everybody!

A Padre Pio Inspirational Story

A Hymn to Padre Pio

In June of 1998 Alex Quinn’s fifteen-year-old son Philip, was sent home from school with a very bad headache. Within hours after coming home, Philip became paralyzed. Alex and his wife Deirdre rushed Philip to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. They were both terrified that their son was dying. The initial tests that were taken indicated that Philip had a brain tumor. But four days later, after a multitude of tests, Philip was diagnosed with the deadly disease called encephalitis. The virus had attacked the part of Philip’s brain that controlled movement, speech and memory.

Alex and his wife Deirdre were devastated. They tried to hide their fear from their son and made every effort to appear upbeat and positive when they visited him in the hospital. Day after day he lay motionless and speechless in his hospital bed, showing no sign of improvement. It was heartbreaking for Alex and Deirdre to witness. Philip still had a slight bit of movement left in his hands. He communicated with his parents by placing his thumb up to say “yes” and placing his thumb down to say “no.”

Alex learned that there was a man in Belfast named Brendan Rogers who possessed a relic of Padre Pio, a bandage that had covered his wounded side. The relic had been given to Brendan by Father Alessio Parente, Padre Pio’s personal secretary. Alex got in touch with Brendan and he kindly agreed to bring the relic to Philip. In the Royal Victoria Hospital, Philip was blessed with the relic of Padre Pio and all who were present prayed for his healing.

Weeks went by but sadly there was no improvement in Philip’s condition. Finally, in September, there was a change. When Alex arrived at the hospital to visit his son, Deirdre was in tears. But they were not the usual tears of sadness, they were tears of joy. With great emotion, she told Alex that Philip had spoken a word to her that day. He had said, “mom.” Alex cried too, not only because his heart was filled with renewed hope, but also because it happened to be September 23, Padre Pio’s feast day. From that day forward, Philip slowly began to improve. He would eventually make a complete recovery.

September 23 marked a turning point in Alex’s life as well. He had prayed to Padre Pio for his son’s healing and Padre Pio had sent him an unmistakable sign that he had heard his prayers. Alex knew that his life would never be the same. He now felt certain that he had a special calling, a special mission to somehow express his gratitude to Padre Pio. He did not know how he would do so but he was determined to find a way.

In 2002, Alex’s wife Deirdre was diagnosed with cancer. The family prayed to Padre Pio for another miracle but on August 15, 2003, on the feast of the Assumption, Deirdre passed away. She was surrounded by her loving family. Alex prayed that he would be able to accept the passing of his dear wife.

The night before Deirdre’s funeral, Alex had a vision of his wife. She had a beautiful smile on her face and she was being carried to Heaven by an angel. Alex was at peace, knowing that his wife was now free of pain and was happy in Heaven. Alex clung to his faith in God and found the strength to go on.

Alex began to regularly attend a Padre Pio prayer group that was held in Belfast. One evening at the prayer group, Father O’Rawe, the spiritual director of the group, said that he would like one of the members of the group to compose a hymn to Padre Pio. As Father O’Rawe said the words, he looked directly at Alex. For many reasons, Alex seemed to be the perfect choice.

In addition to his job as a teacher at a primary school in West Belfast, Alex was also a professional musician and a song writer. He wrote the famous song Belfast which had become a big hit throughout the United Kingdom. Alex belonged to a musical group called Barnbrack. The group had been on tour through Ireland, Scotland, England, and Canada and had even sung for the president of Ireland. People everywhere loved listening to the Irish folk ballads that Barnbrack sang.

Alex thought that Father O’Rawe had a wonderful idea regarding the hymn to Padre Pio. He decided to do his best to write a hymn in Padre Pio’s honor. He felt that he owed Padre Pio a great debt. Alex was certain that his son’s miraculous recovery was due to Padre Pio’s intercession.

After Alex finished writing the song to Padre Pio, he went to a recording studio to have it professionally mastered. When the song was released, it became very popular in Ireland where devotion to Padre Pio has always been strong. The CD also featured thirteen other hymns including traditional favorites such as Our God Reigns and Be Not Afraid. Soon England and other countries as well were listening to the hymn to Padre Pio and buying the CD.

Alex decided to give all of the royalties from the song Hymn to Padre Pio to the monastery of Our Lady of Grace in San Giovanni Rotondo where Padre Pio had lived for more than fifty years. Alex knew that the Capuchins in residence there depended on the generosity of others to carry on their apostolate. Alex planned to go in person to deliver the check.

When Alex’s royalties for his song to Padre Pio reached more than 10,000 Euros, he made preparations for his trip to San Giovanni Rotondo. He felt very insecure about traveling alone. In the past, he had always had his wife at his side whenever he went on a trip. One of Alex’s friends was an Italian man. Alex asked him to write a note in Italian explaining that he was traveling to San Giovanni Rotondo. That way, if he got lost or turned around or had any difficulties on the trip, at least he would be able to have the note in hand which explained his destination. Alex’s friend was happy to provide him with the note.

When Alex arrived at the airport in Rome, he looked for a taxi to take him to the bus station. It proved to be more difficult than he had imagined. Evidently, Alex’s Irish accent made it almost impossible for the taxi driver to understand him. The taxi driver summoned five other taxi drivers in order to see if they could decipher what Alex was saying. Finally, one seemed to understand and motioned him to get in his taxi.

Once at the bus station, Alex had the same difficulty when trying to communicate with the ticket-taker. When he asked for a round trip ticket to San Giovanni Rotondo, the ticket-taker could not understand his “Irish brogue.” Alex repeated his request a number of times but to no avail. He finally had to settle for a one way ticket.

When the bus driver made a stop at a convenience store, everyone got off the bus to get something to eat. After Alex had a bite to eat, he stood close to the bus, waiting for the driver to return. By now it had grown dark. He was very tired but he had to stay alert. He estimated that he would get to San Giovanni about midnight. He had made no hotel reservations and he had no idea where he would be staying for the night.

As Alex was pondering his immediate situation and trying not to give in to a nagging feeling of anxiety, a stranger approached him. He spoke to Alex in Italian but unfortunately Alex did not understand a single word of what he said. Alex then spoke to the man in English but the man was not able to understand him. Finally, because of the communication problem, the man simply stared at Alex. He was so friendly and engaging that it seemed a shame to Alex that they could not talk to each other. Alex then remembered the note in his wallet. He handed it to the man who read it with interest.

Soon everyone got back on the bus. Alex noticed that the kind man who had just spoken to him also boarded the bus. During the journey, Alex observed that the man was constantly on his cell phone, making one call after another. The bus driver made many stops along the way, letting people out at one small town after another. Every time the bus pulled to the side of the road to let people off, Alex would ask the bus driver if they were in San Giovanni Rotondo. He couldn’t relax because he was afraid of missing his stop.

When the bus arrived in the town of Foggia, the kind man communicated to Alex by way of hand signals that he was to get off the bus with him. Alex was confused. He was not traveling to Foggia but to San Giovanni Rotondo. But for some reason, Alex trusted the man completely. He did as instructed. They were the only two passengers who got off at the Foggia stop.

In Foggia, Alex and his new found friend, boarded another bus. Alex learned that it was the bus that went to San Giovanni Rotondo. Alex couldn’t believe it. He had no idea that he needed to transfer to a second bus in order to reach his destination. If he had not been assisted by the man, who knows where he might have ended up that night.

When the bus arrived in San Giovanni Rotondo, the man motioned to Alex to follow him. They walked for about twenty minutes until they arrived at the man’s house. The man then drove Alex to a beautiful hotel. To Alex’s great surprise, it was right next to the monastery of Our Lady of Grace. Alex learned that the man had been using his cell phone on the bus, making one call after another, in order to make a hotel reservation for him.

The man went into the hotel and spoke to the manager. Alex was then given one of the finest hotel rooms available. After the man bid him farewell, Alex never saw him again. Unfortunately, he never even got his name. He had been a true “guardian angel” to Alex.

At the monastery of Our Lady of Grace, Alex received a warm welcome from the Capuchin community. They were very grateful to accept his generous donation. They were truly happy about the success of his song to Padre Pio. They invited him to eat with them in the monastery refectory, the same refectory where Padre Pio had taken all of his meals.

The Capuchins also took Alex to the private chapel where Padre Pio used to say his Mass during the 1930’s when he was segregated from the public. Alex prayed in thanksgiving for the healing of his son. He also prayed for his wife Deirdre. He knew that she was with God now. He had the great consolation of seeing that she was at peace and that she was happy.

There would be many more occasions in Alex’s life to give thanks to God for blessings received. He was now able to see that much good had come out of the painful experiences of the past. He would continue to see the hand of God working in miraculous ways in his life. __________

The Testimony of Bill Gleason

Bill Gleason was getting ready to have shoulder surgery in the winter of 2008. The night before the surgery, Bill decided to go to the rectory at Our Lady of the Rosary parish and ask one of the priests for a blessing. Father Louis Solcia answered the rectory door that evening. He blessed Bill with the holy oil of St. Pio and gave him a prayer card. It had St. Pio’s picture on one side and the novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the other. Bill did not know anything about St. Pio but he was happy to accept the holy card. Father Louis told him to put it in the pocket of his hospital gown and to keep it there during the surgery.

Bill was not too concerned about the surgery. It was going to be a routine operation, a rotator cuff repair. Nevertheless, he was going to have to go under general anesthetic and he was glad that Father Solcia had prayed for him. Bill had been praying quite a lot in recent months. Due to budget cuts in the state of California, he had been laid off from his supervisory position at the County Office of Education. Ever since the lay off, he had prayed to God for guidance. “Lord, show me what you want me to do with my life and lead me in the path you have marked out for me,” he frequently prayed.

Bill had the shoulder surgery and was to be discharged from the hospital that very afternoon. However, during the surgery, Bill’s breathing became erratic. He had to stay overnight in the hospital and receive breathing treatments throughout the night. Late that evening, his wife Mary Ann called his nurse to see how he was doing. She told the nurse that Bill had a Padre Pio prayer card in the pocket of his hospital gown and she wanted to make sure that he still had it with him. The nurse explained to Mary Ann that Bill had put on a new gown and his other gown had already been sent to the hospital laundry room. The nurse was sorry, but it was too late to recover it.

The next morning, Bill was very surprised to see his Padre Pio prayer card in his room. Bill’s nurse told him that she could sense Mary Ann’s disappointment upon learning that the prayer card was gone. The nurse realized that it must have been important. About two o’clock in the morning, she felt a strong urge to go in search of Bill’s holy card. She went to the hospital laundry room and looked through the bins of dirty clothes until she found it.

After Bill was released from the hospital, he told Mary Ann that he thought they should start attending the Padre Pio prayer group at Our Lady of the Rosary parish. Neither of them had ever attended it before. He also wanted to make a commitment to pray the novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus every day. Father Solcia had told him that it was the prayer that Padre Pio had said daily throughout his life. Bill had thought a lot about the fact that his nurse at the hospital had taken it upon herself to search for his Padre Pio prayer card. No one had asked her to do so. Bill was amazed, not only that she went in search of it, but also that she had found it. He felt for certain that the odds were against recovering it. He believed that it was a sign that he should start attending the Padre Pio devotions.

Toward the end of the year, Bill began to feel ill. He had chronic pain which seemed to intensify with each passing day. Finally, he was hospitalized. Tests revealed that he had Crohn’s Disease. His condition continued to deteriorate. Further tests were taken which indicated that Bill did not have Crohn’s disease. His illness remained undiagnosed.

During his hospital stay, Bill contracted pneumonia as well as the potentially deadly bacterial staph infection called MRSA. His condition became critical. He drifted in and out of consciousness. His breathing became erratic, his heartbeat became irregular, and his blood pressure could not be stabilized. As a last resort, his doctor put him into a medically induced coma.

Finally, after Bill had been in a coma for many days, the doctor told Mary Ann that he could offer no hope for her husband. He had done everything that he could for Bill. Bill was dying. The doctor told Mary Ann to take care of any arrangements that she needed to. Mary Ann called Father Solcia and told him the news. He immediately came down to the hospital and gave Bill the Last Rites and the blessing for the dying.

To his family’s great relief, Bill did not pass away. He came back to consciousness after being in a coma for eighteen days. He told Mary Ann that while he was in a comatose state, he had a remarkable experience. He found himself in a place of pitch darkness. There he saw the faces of frightful demons. It was truly a place of pain and suffering. An angel came to Bill and tried to lead him out of the dark ravine. “We have to climb the mountain, Bill. We have to go toward the light,” his good angel would say. No matter how hard Bill tried, he was always pulled back down toward the darkness. More than anything in the world, Bill wanted to get to the place of light.

At one point, Bill saw a saintly man dressed in robes of pure white. Looking closer, he realized that it was St. Benedict. “Save me!” Bill entreated St. Benedict. St. Benedict pointed toward his right, indicating the way that Bill was to go. Bill went in that direction and soon saw a figure close to him. It was Padre Pio. “Stop right there, Bill,” Padre Pio said, in a voice full of authority. “You must go back. Your work is not finished.” “But what work?” Bill asked. Padre Pio made no reply.

Bill knew that the light was up ahead, but he only had a faint glimpse of it. He was never able to reach it. Instead, when he finally opened his eyes, he saw his earthly angel, Mary Ann, at his hospital bedside. How happy his family was to know that Bill had returned to the land of the living!

All together, Bill spent a total of seventy-eight days in the hospital. He weighed 223 lbs. when he was admitted and he weighed 139 lbs. on the day he was sent home. Bill’s recovery took many months. His family took expert care of him. They were just glad that he was alive.

Bill’s experience in the hospital gave him a whole new perspective on life. Before his illness, he had often attended Mass simply to fulfill his Sunday obligation. Not anymore. Today, he looks forward to going to Mass on Sundays. He knows what a privilege it is. His relationship with God has become much deeper and much more real. He has peace of mind and peace of heart. His faith is stronger now than it has ever been in his life.

These days, Bill assists Mary Ann in Our Lady’s Catholic Book and Gift Shop on the grounds of Our Lady of the Rosary parish. He sees his work there as a ministry. He always wears a little pin of St. Pio and a medal of St. Benedict. People often ask him about the pin and the medal. It has become an opportunity for him to share his faith with others. He keeps prayer cards of St. Pio with him and often gives them to the customers at the shop.

At the Padre Pio prayer group one evening, Father Solcia surprised Bill by asking him to step forward and share his testimony with the prayer group. He was happy to do so. Since that time, many people have asked Bill to relate his story of how Padre Pio helped him in the hospital, after his doctors had informed his family that he had no hope of recovery. A number of people have told Bill that his words have strengthened their faith.

Bill feels that he has been given a second chance at life. His family was certain that they were losing him. His own doctor confirmed it. But as our faith teaches us, God always has the final word. Indeed, our lives are in His hands. Bill knows for certain now that he has work left to do. Each new day is a gift from God and an opportunity to share his faith and to serve. Today Bill is alive and well and working in the service the Lord.

[romancatholicreflections]

21st September >> My Daily Eucharist - Reflection for Roman Catholics.

His physical life was a mystery. No man could have survived as long as he did, without eating, without taking care of himself, losing a lot of blood every day, and exhausting himself in hard work for many, many years.

It was the eucharistic Bread, on which he fed every day, which gave him health and vigor.

Holy communion was life for Padre Pio, a fusion of hearts, a source of joy and happiness.

The 21st of March, 1912, he wrote to Padre Agostino of San Marco in Lamis: "Only God knows what sweetness I experienced yesterday, the feast of St. Joseph especially after Mass, so much so that I still feel it. My mouth tasted all the sweetness of the immaculate Flesh of the Son of God. How happy Jesus makes me! How sweet is his spirit! But I am confused and can do nothing but weep and repeat: Jesus, my food!" (Letters I, 299)

Padre Pio Of Pietrelcina

Padre Alberto D'Apolito

[ain-diaries]

Happy Feast Day, St. Padre Pio 🙏💖

[portraitsofsaints]

Happy Feast Day Saint Padre Pio

1887 - 1968 Feast Day: September 23 Patronage: Civil defense volunteers, Catholic adolescents St. Pio of Pietrelcina, was a Capuchin Catholic priest from Italy. He was born Francesco Forgione, and given the name Pius when he joined the Capuchins, thus he is popularly known as Padre Pio. He became famous for bearing the stigmata. He also had the gift of reading souls and the ability to bilocate, among other supernatural phenomena. On 16 June 2002, he was canonized by Pope John Paul II.

{website}

[itsmejohnjen]

Pray, hope, and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer. -- says Padre Pio Dahil kasabay ng birthday mo ang feast day ni Padre Pio, I hope he hears all the desires of your heart. I wish you nothing but long life, healthy body, and a bountiful pocket. Thank you for being by my side kahit napakatanda ko na. I appreciate it. Wag na mainitin ang ulo ha, chill ka lang parati. Life is always beautiful and so are we. Happy Birthday Ma! Sobrang love kita! ❤️ ...GCQ pa yan pic mo na yan. Bawal ka pa lumabas ngayon hehe. (at St. Padre Pio Church, Eastwood City) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUJYvSZBrC9aYZceDSzK8krfl128ZwQik6R9IA0/?utm_medium=tumblr