I wish to thank the Lord for having given us dear Padre Pio, for having given him to our generation in this very tormented century. In his love for God and for his brothers and sisters, he is a sign of great hope.
- Pope John Paul II
Those beautiful words by Pope John Paul II were said in May of 1987 on the 100th anniversary of St. Pio's birth. And we repeat them again today September 23, St. Pio's feast day.
On this special day, let us think of all the good that Padre Pio did in his long life of eighty-one years. We remember his love for God, his devotion to prayer, his loyalty to the Church. We see him as a great spiritual role model. We have become aware on many occasions that he is interceding in our lives.
We are happy to let you know that Issue #45 of our Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry quarterly Padre Pio publication is now available on line at this link: http://www.padrepiodevotions.org/2010october.asp
After opening Issue #45, be sure to click on the small red icon at the top of the page which says, "Download Newsletter," in order to read and/or print out a copy in newsletter format (four pages) complete with photographs.
At our website on saintpio.org we have a link called "Send Us Your Testimony." We always encourage people to post there. We want to know the ways that Padre Pio has interceded in your life. Whether you have received a miracle, either great or small, through Padre Pio, we hope you will take the time to share it with us.
We are so happy that Nicholas Beattie clicked on "Send Us Your Testimony" a short time ago and shared his story with us. This is what Nicholas wrote:
"I recently had a very vivid dream in which I was walking with a man who was carrying a lantern. He was limping slightly as he walked and his posture was somewhat bent. He had a serious demeanor and I noticed that he seemed to be in a hurry. He spoke to me in Italian and said that a very important day was coming soon. I understood the Italian words in my dream even though I do not speak the language. Then the dream ended.
I told my good friend Tony Fajardo about the dream and he then showed me a picture of Padre Pio. There was no doubt about it. He was the man I had seen in my dream. I knew practically nothing about Padre Pio. Tony had told me on a previous occasion that he had the stigmata. That was the extent of my knowledge. I had never seen a photo of Padre Pio before. I did not even know that he was from Italy.
In my dream, I felt that Padre Pio was proud of me for finally realizing that the Catholic faith was destined to be a part of my life. This month I am going to begin to take classes so that I can be confirmed. In the dream, when Padre Pio said that an important date was coming up, I thought that he might be talking about his birthday. But since then, I have learned that he received the Stigmata on Sept 20 and that his feast day is September 23. I had the dream on September 6." - Nicholas Beattie
In addition to Nicholas Beattie, a man named Jerry Berrigan of Syracuse, New York contacted us recently at Padre Pio Devotions. In his letter, Jerry said that he met Padre Pio when he was stationed in Italy during the Second World War. Through phone calls and letters, Jerry shared his fascinating recollections of Padre Pio with us. We are happy that we can share them with you in this edition of Pray Hope and Don't Worry publication #45. Also included are other stories from the war years.
Also new on our audio presentations this quarter is a sermon by the late Father John McKenna. Like Jerry Berrigan, Father John McKenna also met Padre Pio during World War II. Padre Pio told John that he would one day become a priest. At the time, John was convinced that Padre Pio was wrong. John had a girlfriend back home in the U.S. who was waiting for him to return and he had his heart set on playing professional baseball. As it turned out, Padre Pio's prediction came true. Father McKenna became a priest for the archdiocese of Los Angeles. He worked as a hospital chaplain as well as a chaplain in prison ministry. He was also the spiritual director of twelve Padre Pio Prayer Groups in the Los Angeles area. http://www.padrepiodevotions.org/audiopresentations.asp
In the homily, Father McKenna talks about Padre Pio's devotion to the angels, and in particular, his devotion to St. Michael the Archangel. This beautiful homily by Father McKenna was sent to us by a great devotee of Padre Pio, Rocky Falatico. Rocky, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for sending this inspiring talk to us.
Sincerely, Your friends in Padre Pio,
Diane and Deacon Ron Allen www.saintpio.org
The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run to it and are safe. - Proverbs 18:10
The Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry quarterly Padre Pio publication has now been made into a 400 page book, Pray, Hope and Don't Worry: True Stories of Padre Pio by Diane Allen. Learn more about the book at this link:
http://www.padrepiodevotions.org/padrepiobook.asp
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