The little vessel which is your soul always possesses the strong anchor of trust in the Divine Goodness. This mystical vessel will always have Jesus as helmsman and Mary as its beacon. Hence there is no room for fear. - St. Pio of Pietrelcina Dear Friend of Padre Pio,
With the feast of Mary, the Mother of God, on January 1, and the feast of the Epiphany on January 2, we pray that these holy days will bring many graces into your lives.
We are happy to let you know that Issue # 46 of our Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry quarterly Padre Pio publication is now available on line at this link: http://www.padrepiodevotions.org/2011january.asp
After opening Issue #46, 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. Our current issue is titled, "Anecdotes of Padre Pio." In it, we have collected some of our favorite stories from Padre Pio's childhood, his early days as a priest, and other beautiful incidents from his life. Not long ago, I was getting ready for our monthly Padre Pio Prayer Group Meeting. In the morning, I prepared the announcements, set the prayer box by the front door so I would not forget it, and then began to get the items for our Padre Pio information table ready. We keep a good supply of Padre Pio prayer cards, Padre Pio prayer booklets, and other supplies for the members of our prayer group. For some reason, I could not find all of the items that I had recently ordered. I had misplaced the Padre Pio prayer cards in Spanish as well as the Spanish biographies of Padre Pio that had come from South America. By the time I finally had everything ready, it was already late afternoon. It was a cold and rainy day and I thought to myself that the weather might prevent alot of the people from coming to the prayer group that night. I also thought about the time I had put into preparing for the meeting. "Maybe I should try to simplify things," I said to myself. "All of my time is going to these endeavors. Should I think about scaling back a little?" Just as I was thinking those thoughts, the telephone rang. It was a lady calling with a question about the Padre Pio Prayer Meeting that night. She told me that she attended every month with her two friends. It took her close to two hours to make the trip each month but she said that it was well worth it. On this particular night, with the rain coming down, it might even take longer. She and her friends loved the Mass, the Rosary, and the recitation of the prayers of Padre Pio. I was impressed that she and her friends were coming each month from such a long distance. The woman then added that she and her two friends had cancer. There was not a word of complaint. She was just stating a fact. There was a moment of silence because I did not know what to say. "We also enjoy the Spanish prayer cards and the Spanish books on Padre Pio," she added. We take everything back to the people at our parish and share it with them. They love it, too!" The conversation with that woman made a deep impression on me. Many times we are blessed to meet people of great faith, people who inspire us by their courage and by their love for God. The temptation I had to scale back in my own efforts was suddenly gone. I also want to thank Josie Grossi from Toronto, Canada for answering our request to "Send Your Testimony." You can read her testimony at the end of the online newsletter. We are hoping that you too will take the time to write to us at http://www.saintpio.org/ and click on "Send Your Testimony." Please let us know how Padre Pio has made a difference in your life. The feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is celebrated each year on February 11. In our Audio Presentations this quarter, we have added an audio biography of St. Bernadette Soubirous of Lourdes, France. We remember that Padre Pio had a picture of St. Bernadette hanging on the wall of his cell. In the picture, Bernadette is kneeling in prayer before Our Lady of Lourdes at the grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes.
Father Onorato Marcucci, Padre Pio's personal assistant, was making preparations to go on a pilgrimage to the Lourdes shrine in July,1968. Father Onorato spoke to Padre Pio about it and said, "Padre Pio, you never take a vacation. I know how much you love the Blessed Virgin. Why don't you go with me to Lourdes?" "But I do go to Lourdes," Padre Pio replied. "I go there frequently." He obviously meant that he visited Lourdes in bilocation. You can find the link to the talk on St. Bernadette here: http://www.padrepiodevotions.org/audiopresentations.asp If you have friends or relatives who might be interested in reading Issue #46 of our Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry Padre Pio publication, we ask you to please consider forwarding this letter to them. Because 2011 is just around the corner, I wanted to close with a poem for the New Year by the English poet and hymn writer, Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879). Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
In working or in waiting, another year with Thee.
Another year of progress, another year of praise,
Another year of proving Thy presence all the days. Another year of service, of witness for Thy love,
Another year of training for holier work above.
Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
On earth, or else in Heaven, another year for Thee.
Your friends in Padre Pio, Diane and Deacon Ron Allen We must rise up and value every instant of time that passes and is in our power. We must not waste a single moment. By divine grace we find ourselves at the beginning of a new year. This year, which only God knows if we shall see its end, must be used in reparation for the past and in preparation for the future.
- St. Pio of Pietrelcina
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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