St. Padre Pio OF PIETRALCINA
Padre Pio was born in Pietralcina, Italy, on May 25, 1887. The 4th child of Grazio Maria Forgione and Maria Giuseppa De Nunzio, he was given the name Francesco, after a brother who died shortly after birth. From the time he was very young, it was his desire to join the Monks at the Monastery who "wore the beard". His dream to join the Catholic Capuchin Order of Friars Minor was realized in 1903 when he was admitted at the Friary of Morcone in the Province of Foggia. In 1916, struggling with ill health, he transferred to the Friary of Our Lady of Grace in San Giovanni Rotondo and there he remained. This humble Capuchin Priest from San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, was blessed by God in many wonderful and mysterious ways.
Padre Pio and the Stigmata:
On September 20, 1918, he received the visible stigmata which he carried on his body for the next 50 years. They disappeared shortly before his death on September 23, 1968. Along with the stigmata, he was graced with the "odor of sanctity". He had the wounds in his palms, feet and in his side that corresponded to the wounds that Jesus Christ suffered during crucifixion. These wounds caused Saint Padre Pio great suffering and this pain was particularly evident during his celebration of the mass. As Saint Padre Pio was conducting mass he would seem to be reliving the pain of Christ’s crucifixion.
On October 22, 1918, Padre Pio wrote to his spiritual advisor, Padre Benedetto, describing how he received the stigmata. "On the morning of the 20th of last month, in the choir, after I had celebrated Mass, I yielded to a drowsiness similar to a sweet sleep. All the internal and external senses and even the very faculties of my soul were immersed in indescribable stillness. Absolute silence surrounded and invaded me. I was suddenly filled with great peace and abandonment which effaced everything else and caused a lull in the turmoil. All this happened in a flash. "While this was taking place, I saw before me a mysterious person similar to the one I had seen on the evening of 5 August. The only difference was that his hands and feet and side were dripping blood. The sight terrified me and what I felt at that moment is indescribable. I thought I should die and really should have died if the Lord had not intervened and strengthened my heart which was about to burst out of my chest. "The vision disappeared and I became aware that my hands, feet and side were dripping blood. Imagine the agony I experienced and continue to experience almost every day. The heart wound bleeds continually, especially from Thursday evening until Saturday. Dear Father, I am dying of pain because of the wounds and the resulting embarrassment I feel in my soul. I am afraid I shall bleed to death if the Lord does not hear my heartfelt supplication to relieve me of this condition. Will Jesus, Who is so good, grant me this grace? Will He, at least, free me from the embarrassment caused by these outward signs? I will raise my voice and will not stop imploring Him until in His Mercy, He takes away, not the wound or the pain, which is impossible since I wish to be inebriated with pain, but these outward signs which cause me such embarrassment and unbearable humiliation" (Letters 1, No. 511).
Bilocation in the lives of the Saints
Bilocation (sometimes hyphenated as bi-location) is a special gift of God where an individual can be in two places at once. God always uses this gift for acts of mercy or charity to be performed by the Saint, in circumstances where it is physically impossible for the Saint to be present under normal circumstances.
While the gift of bi-location has been given to countless saints. Probably one of the most frequent and documented accounts occurred relatively recently in the extraordinary life of the beloved St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968).
Extraordinary examples of the gift of bi-location in the life of St Pio:
In the April 2008 issue of “Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry” newsletter published by Padre Pio Devotions we read of an account of the extraordinary appearance of St Pio in America.
Ellie Hunt’s family came from Padre Pio’s hometown of Pietrelcina and had known Padre Pio from his childhood. They eventually emigrated from Italy to New York. In 1960, when Ellie was 31 years old her grandfather, Jack Crafa became gravely ill. Ellie and her parents lived close to his home in Flushing, New York and during his grave illness, the family stayed by his side. When Jack eventually fell into a coma, they all knew that his life was soon passing.
One day while Ellie and her parents were at her grandfather’s bedside, a stranger knocked at the door. They were all surprised to see a Capuchin monk dressed in a dark brown habit, because there were no Capuchin monks in their Parish or in any other parish in the area for that matter. They were also surprised to see that he was wearing sandals without any socks, because it was a particularly cold day and snow covered the ground. The monk said that he had come to pray for her grandfather. Ellie was also a bit upset, because she thought that the parish priest should have come to pray for her grandfather, and not a complete stranger. However, she was soon impressed by the kindness and compassion of the young monk.
He then went straight into her grandfathers bedroom and blessed Jack Crafa. Then told the family to pray the Rosary suggesting that they sit at Jack’s side, praying the Hail Mary close to his ear, for he seemed to have the opinion that Jack was still able to hear. After the monk said that, Ellie was surprised to find that when she took her grandfather’s hand in hers, she felt a response from a very slight squeeze from his hand.
The young Capuchin then gave Ellie’s grandfather the Last Sacraments, then he blessed the family and bid them goodbye. As he walked out the front door, Ellie’s father, James noticed that there was no car waiting for him outside. James watched him as he walked up the street until he disappeared in the darkness. Jack Crafa died that very night. He had been in a coma for nine days.
After the unknown monk had left, Ellie’s father James became pale and appeared quite shaken. Ellie’s mother Lucy, asked him for the reason.”Don’t you know who that was?” James replied, “It was Padre Pio. He came to give the Last Rites to your father and he looked exactly like I remember him when I used to deliver eggs to him in Pietrelcina.”
For Ellie’s grandfather Jack had been one of Padre Pio’s spiritual sons from Pietrelcina and through a special grace God Padre Pio had come to comfort and encourage him, and to administer the last Sacraments of the Church, for his death was only hours away.
[Source "Pray, Hope and Don't Worry" newsletter, April 2008, published by Padre Pio Devotions]
More examples of bilocation in the life of St Padre Pio:
[The primary source for this section is "Padre Pio- The Stigmatist" by Rev Charles Mortimer Carty, Radio Replies Press, 2nd ed.]
Signora Concetta Bellarmini of S. Vito Lanciano declares that she was suddenly stricken with a blood infection followed by bronchial pneumonia with a very high fever. She was reduced to such a state that the doctors despaired of ever saving her. The flesh had become yellow from the infection which had spread throughout her body.
A relative urged her to direct her prayers to Padre Pio. She prayed to him whom she has never seen, when suddenly in full daylight a stigmatized monk appeared to her and smiling blessed her without touching her as he stood in the middle of the room. The woman asked him if his appearance signified the grace for the conversion of her children, or else the grace for her physical cure. Then Padre answered, "Sunday morning you will be cured," then he vanished from the room, leaving an odor of perfume which the servant girl also smelt. After this visit her flesh turned normal color, the fever ceased and in a few days her health was completely restored. She went with her brother to San Giovanni Rotondo to see if Padre Pio was the one who appeared to her. When she arrived at the Monastery and saw Padre Pio in the church she turned to her brother and said, "There he is, he is the one."
Signor Bugarini Arturo of Ancona was urged by friends to turn to Padre Pio for the cure of his boy. Whilst he was standing near the bedside of his critically ill son he felt three consecutive taps on his shoulder, whilst a voice said: "I am Padre Pio, I am Padre Pio, I am Padre Pio." At the same time he felt all over his body a wave of heat as if he were next to an intense flame, then all of a sudden it ceased. This visit of Padre Pio restored the health of the son. Father and son visited the monastery to thank Padre Pio for the miraculous cure and the spiritual conversion of the father and all the Bugarini family.
On July 20, 1921, a Monsignor D'Indico of Florence, whom this author met in 1923 when studying theology at the Archbishop's Seminary at Florence, was alone in his study. He felt the sensation of having someone at his back. He turned and saw a monk who disappeared. He left his quarters to tell a chaplain what happened. The chaplain thought it was mere hallucination due to his actual state of anxiety over his sister, who was very ill. He invited him to take a short walk for mental distraction.
When they returned they called at the sick room. His sister who a little before was in the state of coma, at the same hour as when her brother felt the sensation of being in the presence of Padre Pio, narrated that she had seen a monk enter her room who approached her and said:
"Don't be afraid, tomorrow your fever will disappear and after a few days there will be no trace of your illness on your body."
"But Padre," she answered, "are you then a saint?"
"No, I am only a creature who serves the Lord through His mercies."
"Let me kiss your habit, Padre."
"Kiss the sign of the passion," and he showed his hands transfixed and bleeding.
"Padre, I recommend to you my husband and child."
"Pray, pray that you will be good and be assured that your child will be under my protection," and blessing her he vanished.
She immediately got better and in eight days was entirely cured.
His opinion on the recognition of bilocation
One day a monk who was speaking about the bilocation of St. Anthony of Padua who miraculously appeared in Lisbon, said to Padre Pio: "Perhaps these privileged of the Lord do not even know when their bilocation occurs:'
Padre Pio quickly interrupting him as one who is experienced with such events answered: "Certainly they know. They cannot know if the body or the soul moves, but they are very conscious of what happens and they know where they are going."
St Pio miraculously appears to a General
While World War II was raging throughout Europe, one day General Cadorna, a General in the Italian Army, was in his study during the war and in deep study he held his head in his hands, thinking of all the young men who, for the love of country would have to give up their lives, when suddenly he smelt a very strong perfume odor of roses which was wafted around the room. Raising his venerable head, he was stupefied to see a monk with a seraphic look and with bleeding hands. Passing in front of him, the monk said, "Be calm, they will not do anything harmful to you."
With the disappearance of the monk, the general no longer smelled the perfume. He told a Franciscan friend about the vision and when he mentioned the perfume the Franciscan said, "Your excellency, you have seen Padre Pio." Then he told the general all about Padre Pio. The general decided to visit San Giovanni and when he arrived there incognito, he was immediately approached by two Capuchins, who had recognized the general even though he was trying to disguise himself in civilian clothing. They approached him and said, "Your Excellency, Padre Pio is waiting for you. He sent us to meet you."
St Pio appears leaves the imprint of his stigmatized hand on a bed sheet
Emma Meneghello, a very pious young girl of 14, was afflicted with epilepsy which threw her into fits several times a week. One afternoon whilst in prayer, Padre Pio appeared to her and placed his hand on the bed sheet, then smiled and vanished. The cured epileptic arose to kiss the place where the Padre had placed his hand and she noticed a cross of blood left on the sheet. A small square cut of the sheet with the blood stains is conserved today in a glass picture frame. "Through the intercession of Padre Pio," writes this miraculously cured girl, "I have obtained other graces, especially for dying babies."
Padre Pio appears and cures a dying man
Mrs. Ersilia Magurno, a woman of great faith, for two months was taking care of her husband, who was stricken with influenza. This illness would not have given alarm were it not that he was also affiicted with a very weak heart. Night and day helped by a nun, the wife was watching her husband with every possible care, whilst praying and invoking Padre Pio. He grew worse and the doctors advised that the last rites be given to him because of the very alarming failure of his heart.
One night the wife noticed in the room a strong perfume of flowers. The next morning, however, a worse condition prevailed and the dying man was approaching his end. A telegram begged Padre Pio's intercession. Two days later Mr. Magurno entered the state of coma. The wife did not give up hope and sent a second telegram. Finally the 27th of Feb., 1947, the sick man after a day of prolonged crisis fell asleep. The nun was away and the wife remained alone to watch him and at midnight she noticed that his sleep was more restful than usual. At 7:30 in the morning, noticing that he was awakening, she rushed to his side and said, "How do you feel?"
"I am cured, I am well. Padre Pio just left the room; open the window please and take my temperature." It was entirely normal.
"Ernesto," asked the astonished wife, anxious to hear and to know. "What are you saying? Have you seen Padre Pio? And what, did he tell you?"
“He came together with another monk, he examined my heart and said, 'This fever will go away, tomorrow you will be cured and within four days you can get up.' “Padre Pio looked around, examined the medicines, read the medical reports and remained in the room all night." To confirm this miracle a strong odor of violets was observed in the room.
Five months later on July 27 the couple went to San Giovanni and Mr. Magurno immediately recognized Padre Pio as the monk who cured him. Padre Pio received him with fond greetings and placing his hand on his shoulder said to him: "How much this heart has made you suffer."
"Go away child for you have been cured"
We must not think that Padre Pio arrives always unexpectedly at the bedside of the sick, for at times he announced in advance the time of his coming. Once a little sick girl told her parents the approximate hour of his arrival, and the parents in their simplicity not understanding the phenomenon went to meet him at the railroad station. When they returned to the child disappointed, they found her asleep.
"Padre Pio didn't come," her mother said sadly, as soon as she saw her waking.
"Why he just left!," the child answered. A young girl, cured also providentially from a grave infirmity, desired to test the power of Padre Pio and she came to him feigning the infirmity that once afflicted her.
“Go away child," he said, striking her jokingly on the shoulder, "go away for you are quite cured and be careful that you never again tempt the mercy of the Lord."
He miraculously appears to baptise a baby as promised
A couple from Genoa visited Padre Pio to sadly tell him that they had no children.
"Bring him to me to be baptized when he is born," was his answer. From this reply and many other similar ones we discover that Padre Pio was often able to foretell the sex of an unborn child.
The following year the fortunate couple returned with their baby boy, but in the Church of Our Lady of Graces there was no baptismal font and there was such a crowd in the church that they could not reach Padre Pio. The mother remained in the Parish House of San Giovanni Rotondo one mile away, whilst the father went to the monastery to protest that Padre Pio had invited them to come there, otherwise they would not have come. He waited and his wait was in vain. He returned to the Parish House to learn from his wife that even though Padre Pio at the time specified was very preoccupied with the people had come and baptized the baby.
Padre Pio miraculously appears and rescues a condemned woman
In a city of central Italy a teacher and ex-secretary of a Fascist organization was accused of having furnished arms and bombs to the Fascisti, who perpetrated an explosion that killed military and civilians. But the teacher was innocent. Taken by force from her home to be tried and shot she succeeded in bringing with her a Rosary and a photograph of Padre Pio. They conducted her to observe the destruction and to see the spectacle of the dead whose death they attributed to her. They then brought her to the place of execution.
Meanwhile some members of the firing squad entered her home with the pretext of searching for arms. Instead they began stealing money, objects of gold, clothing, until all of a sudden there thundered a shout, "Enough," so resolutely and imperiously that the soldiers fled abandoning their loot.
The sister of the condemned girl watching the whole scene cringing in a corner recognized in the shouting of "Enough," the voice of Padre Pio.
The order to aim and fire had been suspended because of the arrival of an interminable column of armored cars, horses, cannon, ambulances and marching troops. The commander of the firing squad remained standing on a car as if hypnotized.
The young teacher could hardly breathe as she reflected that her hour would come when the last soldier passed by. She began to pray to Padre Pio for the grace of seeing God's will in her execution. A gentleman approached her and asked what they had decided to do with her.
“I don't know, I no longer know anything, they are all away, there is only the commander there," as she pointed him out with a facial expression full of horror.
He was motionless as if cemented to his post. “Then consider yourself free and come with me."
He brought her in his automobile to her home where many women were comforting her griefstricken sister. The condemned girl threw herself into her sister's arms and then taking a picture of Padre Pio from the wall, kissed it and pressed it to her heart. In that instant she felt a hand gently patting her cheek.
A few months later the teacher went to San Giovanni to thank her saviour.
“Padre," she said, “my life will not be enough to thank you." He said: “My child, how much your faith caused me to run."
-St Pio of Pietrelcina, pray for us!
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A few quotes and sayings of Padre Pio:
"Prayer is the best weapon we possess. It is the key that opens the heart of God."
"Love our Lady and make her loved; always recite the Rosary and recite it as often as possible."
"You must always humble yourself lovingly before God and before men, because God speaks only to those who are truly humble and He enriches them with His gifts."
"Humility and purity are the wings which carry us to God and make us almost divine."
"Hold on tightly to the Rosary. Be very grateful to the Madonna because it was she who gave us Jesus."
"Love Jesus, love Him very much, but to do this, be ready to love sacrifice more."
"Imagine Jesus crucified in your arms and on your chest, and say a hundred times as you kiss His chest, "This is my hope, the living source of my happiness; this is the heart of my soul; nothing will ever separate me from His love."
"Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is I want it to be a place of consolation for You.."
The Death of Padre Pio on Friday, September 23, 1968: On another Friday, September 20, 1968, fifty years later, he celebrated Mass as he usually did at 5:00 A.M. He was extremely weak and was helped to the altar in a wheelchair. He celebrated the Mass while seated, with the permission of his spiritual son, Pope Paul VI. An unusual thing began to come about. Prayer groups and thousands of his Spiritual Children began to arrive in San Giovanni Rotondo atop Monte Gargano in southern Italy. There had been no arrangement made by the Capuchins, no organized gathering had been planned, yet his"children" as he affectionately called them gathered as if for some special occasion. Despite his weakness he heard confessions until his superior ordered him to rest. That was Friday.
On Saturday, he was so weak he had to spend the day in bed. The crowds gathered in Our Lady of Grace Church to pray for Padre Pio's recovery. God had healed him before; surely He would heal him again.
On Sunday, the 22nd, he did celebrate his 5:00 A.M. morning Mass for all his prayer groups. Again he was wheeled into the church and celebrated Mass while seated. His voice was weak. It was apparent that he had little strength. In fact, at the end of the Mass he almost collapsed. He was helped from the altar by his brother Friars, and as he was wheeled into the sacristy he was heard to whisper, "Oh my children!" Few of his children realized that he had just celebrated his last Mass. On that day, the crypt which had been made for Padre Pio was blessed by the bishop. Some years earlier, in 1959 at the opening of the new church, Padre Pio had said, "When the crypt is blessed God will call Padre Pio home." At that time, no one remembered his prophecy; they all felt he would be healed.
At noon, he came to the little window in his cell. His friars supported him as he waved his hand weakly and blessed the anxious crowd outside. About 1:00 A.M. the following morning Padre Pio rang the little bell beside him. He was seated in an arm chair dressed in his Franciscan habit. His superior sent immediately for the doctor in Padre Pio's hospital LaCasa Sollievo Della Sofferenza. Padre Pio went to confession. His Capuchin brothers administered the last rites. He renewed his Franciscan vows. His rosary was in his hands as it always was. He fingered the beads. He was unable to say the Hail Mary, but he repeated over and over again the names Jesus and Maria. About 2:30, he opened his eyes very wide and said: "I see two mothers." (His earthly mother and his Heavenly Mother.) As he exhaled his last breath, he whispered: "Maria."
Later his superior said that his head fell gently to his chest and that "he died like a little bird." For a few moments his cell was blooming with the heavenly fragrance that so often came from his wounds during his fifty years of suffering. It was estimated that about 100.000 attended his funeral. Most of them had come to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of his stigmata. They did not realize they would be witnesses to a great event in Church history - the "going home" of a future saint.
We have two champions near and dear to Christ, Our Lord: Our Blessed Mother and Padre Pio. Mary, filled with Grace and by far the most powerful intercessor in Heaven and Padre Pio, a humble priest who accepted the grace to surrender totally to Our Lord's Will. His spirituality is, as you know, centered on Christ, on his Church, on the Mass, on the Sacrament of Penance and around Our Blessed Mother and her Rosary. They are two champions who pray for us and protect us from the negative and destructive forces in the world.
Perhaps some of you would care to become a member of Padre's Pio's Spiritual Family. When he was just a lad, he had a vision; in it he saw thousands and thousands of faces from every country in the world. Many of them not yet born! Our Lord gave Padre Pio to understand that these were his spiritual children. Later in life, he promised them that, metaphorically speaking, he would wait outside The Gates of Heaven until every last one of his children was safely inside. He requires two things, 1) That we be a good practicing Catholic; 2) That we receive the Sacraments often. Not terribly difficult. Of course, only Padre Pio can say who is not his spiritual child. But we can ask him in prayer. We can send him our Guardian Angels. How often did he say, "Send me your Guardian Angel." If we do that and fulfill his two requirements we can rest assured that our dear Padre will include us in his "spiritual family." The Beatification of Padre Pio:
Padre Pio's beatification Mass took place in Rome on May 2, 1999. In a colorful and historic ceremony, Pope John Paul II declared the Church's belief that Padre Pio is among the elect of God's people. The Pope, a devotee of Padre Pio, bears witness to a prediction made by Padre Pio many years earlier - that Carol Woytila would become pope.
Padre Pio canonized:
In one of the largest such ceremonies in history, Pope John Paul II canonized Padre Pio of Pietralcina on June 16, 2002. It was the 45th canonization ceremony in Pope John Paul's pontificate. More than 300,000 people braved blistering heat as they filled St. Peter's Square and nearby streets. They heard the Holy Father praise the new saint for his prayer and charity. "This is the most concrete synthesis of Padre Pio's teaching," said the pope. He also stressed Padre Pio's witness to the power of suffering. If accepted with love, the Holy Father stressed, such suffering can lead to "a privileged path of sanctity."
Click here for more information on St Padre Pio
Padre Pio and the Stigmata:
On September 20, 1918, he received the visible stigmata which he carried on his body for the next 50 years. They disappeared shortly before his death on September 23, 1968. Along with the stigmata, he was graced with the "odor of sanctity". He had the wounds in his palms, feet and in his side that corresponded to the wounds that Jesus Christ suffered during crucifixion. These wounds caused Saint Padre Pio great suffering and this pain was particularly evident during his celebration of the mass. As Saint Padre Pio was conducting mass he would seem to be reliving the pain of Christ’s crucifixion.
On October 22, 1918, Padre Pio wrote to his spiritual advisor, Padre Benedetto, describing how he received the stigmata. "On the morning of the 20th of last month, in the choir, after I had celebrated Mass, I yielded to a drowsiness similar to a sweet sleep. All the internal and external senses and even the very faculties of my soul were immersed in indescribable stillness. Absolute silence surrounded and invaded me. I was suddenly filled with great peace and abandonment which effaced everything else and caused a lull in the turmoil. All this happened in a flash. "While this was taking place, I saw before me a mysterious person similar to the one I had seen on the evening of 5 August. The only difference was that his hands and feet and side were dripping blood. The sight terrified me and what I felt at that moment is indescribable. I thought I should die and really should have died if the Lord had not intervened and strengthened my heart which was about to burst out of my chest. "The vision disappeared and I became aware that my hands, feet and side were dripping blood. Imagine the agony I experienced and continue to experience almost every day. The heart wound bleeds continually, especially from Thursday evening until Saturday. Dear Father, I am dying of pain because of the wounds and the resulting embarrassment I feel in my soul. I am afraid I shall bleed to death if the Lord does not hear my heartfelt supplication to relieve me of this condition. Will Jesus, Who is so good, grant me this grace? Will He, at least, free me from the embarrassment caused by these outward signs? I will raise my voice and will not stop imploring Him until in His Mercy, He takes away, not the wound or the pain, which is impossible since I wish to be inebriated with pain, but these outward signs which cause me such embarrassment and unbearable humiliation" (Letters 1, No. 511).
Bilocation in the lives of the Saints
Bilocation (sometimes hyphenated as bi-location) is a special gift of God where an individual can be in two places at once. God always uses this gift for acts of mercy or charity to be performed by the Saint, in circumstances where it is physically impossible for the Saint to be present under normal circumstances.
While the gift of bi-location has been given to countless saints. Probably one of the most frequent and documented accounts occurred relatively recently in the extraordinary life of the beloved St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968).
Extraordinary examples of the gift of bi-location in the life of St Pio:
In the April 2008 issue of “Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry” newsletter published by Padre Pio Devotions we read of an account of the extraordinary appearance of St Pio in America.
Ellie Hunt’s family came from Padre Pio’s hometown of Pietrelcina and had known Padre Pio from his childhood. They eventually emigrated from Italy to New York. In 1960, when Ellie was 31 years old her grandfather, Jack Crafa became gravely ill. Ellie and her parents lived close to his home in Flushing, New York and during his grave illness, the family stayed by his side. When Jack eventually fell into a coma, they all knew that his life was soon passing.
One day while Ellie and her parents were at her grandfather’s bedside, a stranger knocked at the door. They were all surprised to see a Capuchin monk dressed in a dark brown habit, because there were no Capuchin monks in their Parish or in any other parish in the area for that matter. They were also surprised to see that he was wearing sandals without any socks, because it was a particularly cold day and snow covered the ground. The monk said that he had come to pray for her grandfather. Ellie was also a bit upset, because she thought that the parish priest should have come to pray for her grandfather, and not a complete stranger. However, she was soon impressed by the kindness and compassion of the young monk.
He then went straight into her grandfathers bedroom and blessed Jack Crafa. Then told the family to pray the Rosary suggesting that they sit at Jack’s side, praying the Hail Mary close to his ear, for he seemed to have the opinion that Jack was still able to hear. After the monk said that, Ellie was surprised to find that when she took her grandfather’s hand in hers, she felt a response from a very slight squeeze from his hand.
The young Capuchin then gave Ellie’s grandfather the Last Sacraments, then he blessed the family and bid them goodbye. As he walked out the front door, Ellie’s father, James noticed that there was no car waiting for him outside. James watched him as he walked up the street until he disappeared in the darkness. Jack Crafa died that very night. He had been in a coma for nine days.
After the unknown monk had left, Ellie’s father James became pale and appeared quite shaken. Ellie’s mother Lucy, asked him for the reason.”Don’t you know who that was?” James replied, “It was Padre Pio. He came to give the Last Rites to your father and he looked exactly like I remember him when I used to deliver eggs to him in Pietrelcina.”
For Ellie’s grandfather Jack had been one of Padre Pio’s spiritual sons from Pietrelcina and through a special grace God Padre Pio had come to comfort and encourage him, and to administer the last Sacraments of the Church, for his death was only hours away.
[Source "Pray, Hope and Don't Worry" newsletter, April 2008, published by Padre Pio Devotions]
More examples of bilocation in the life of St Padre Pio:
[The primary source for this section is "Padre Pio- The Stigmatist" by Rev Charles Mortimer Carty, Radio Replies Press, 2nd ed.]
Signora Concetta Bellarmini of S. Vito Lanciano declares that she was suddenly stricken with a blood infection followed by bronchial pneumonia with a very high fever. She was reduced to such a state that the doctors despaired of ever saving her. The flesh had become yellow from the infection which had spread throughout her body.
A relative urged her to direct her prayers to Padre Pio. She prayed to him whom she has never seen, when suddenly in full daylight a stigmatized monk appeared to her and smiling blessed her without touching her as he stood in the middle of the room. The woman asked him if his appearance signified the grace for the conversion of her children, or else the grace for her physical cure. Then Padre answered, "Sunday morning you will be cured," then he vanished from the room, leaving an odor of perfume which the servant girl also smelt. After this visit her flesh turned normal color, the fever ceased and in a few days her health was completely restored. She went with her brother to San Giovanni Rotondo to see if Padre Pio was the one who appeared to her. When she arrived at the Monastery and saw Padre Pio in the church she turned to her brother and said, "There he is, he is the one."
Signor Bugarini Arturo of Ancona was urged by friends to turn to Padre Pio for the cure of his boy. Whilst he was standing near the bedside of his critically ill son he felt three consecutive taps on his shoulder, whilst a voice said: "I am Padre Pio, I am Padre Pio, I am Padre Pio." At the same time he felt all over his body a wave of heat as if he were next to an intense flame, then all of a sudden it ceased. This visit of Padre Pio restored the health of the son. Father and son visited the monastery to thank Padre Pio for the miraculous cure and the spiritual conversion of the father and all the Bugarini family.
On July 20, 1921, a Monsignor D'Indico of Florence, whom this author met in 1923 when studying theology at the Archbishop's Seminary at Florence, was alone in his study. He felt the sensation of having someone at his back. He turned and saw a monk who disappeared. He left his quarters to tell a chaplain what happened. The chaplain thought it was mere hallucination due to his actual state of anxiety over his sister, who was very ill. He invited him to take a short walk for mental distraction.
When they returned they called at the sick room. His sister who a little before was in the state of coma, at the same hour as when her brother felt the sensation of being in the presence of Padre Pio, narrated that she had seen a monk enter her room who approached her and said:
"Don't be afraid, tomorrow your fever will disappear and after a few days there will be no trace of your illness on your body."
"But Padre," she answered, "are you then a saint?"
"No, I am only a creature who serves the Lord through His mercies."
"Let me kiss your habit, Padre."
"Kiss the sign of the passion," and he showed his hands transfixed and bleeding.
"Padre, I recommend to you my husband and child."
"Pray, pray that you will be good and be assured that your child will be under my protection," and blessing her he vanished.
She immediately got better and in eight days was entirely cured.
His opinion on the recognition of bilocation
One day a monk who was speaking about the bilocation of St. Anthony of Padua who miraculously appeared in Lisbon, said to Padre Pio: "Perhaps these privileged of the Lord do not even know when their bilocation occurs:'
Padre Pio quickly interrupting him as one who is experienced with such events answered: "Certainly they know. They cannot know if the body or the soul moves, but they are very conscious of what happens and they know where they are going."
St Pio miraculously appears to a General
While World War II was raging throughout Europe, one day General Cadorna, a General in the Italian Army, was in his study during the war and in deep study he held his head in his hands, thinking of all the young men who, for the love of country would have to give up their lives, when suddenly he smelt a very strong perfume odor of roses which was wafted around the room. Raising his venerable head, he was stupefied to see a monk with a seraphic look and with bleeding hands. Passing in front of him, the monk said, "Be calm, they will not do anything harmful to you."
With the disappearance of the monk, the general no longer smelled the perfume. He told a Franciscan friend about the vision and when he mentioned the perfume the Franciscan said, "Your excellency, you have seen Padre Pio." Then he told the general all about Padre Pio. The general decided to visit San Giovanni and when he arrived there incognito, he was immediately approached by two Capuchins, who had recognized the general even though he was trying to disguise himself in civilian clothing. They approached him and said, "Your Excellency, Padre Pio is waiting for you. He sent us to meet you."
St Pio appears leaves the imprint of his stigmatized hand on a bed sheet
Emma Meneghello, a very pious young girl of 14, was afflicted with epilepsy which threw her into fits several times a week. One afternoon whilst in prayer, Padre Pio appeared to her and placed his hand on the bed sheet, then smiled and vanished. The cured epileptic arose to kiss the place where the Padre had placed his hand and she noticed a cross of blood left on the sheet. A small square cut of the sheet with the blood stains is conserved today in a glass picture frame. "Through the intercession of Padre Pio," writes this miraculously cured girl, "I have obtained other graces, especially for dying babies."
Padre Pio appears and cures a dying man
Mrs. Ersilia Magurno, a woman of great faith, for two months was taking care of her husband, who was stricken with influenza. This illness would not have given alarm were it not that he was also affiicted with a very weak heart. Night and day helped by a nun, the wife was watching her husband with every possible care, whilst praying and invoking Padre Pio. He grew worse and the doctors advised that the last rites be given to him because of the very alarming failure of his heart.
One night the wife noticed in the room a strong perfume of flowers. The next morning, however, a worse condition prevailed and the dying man was approaching his end. A telegram begged Padre Pio's intercession. Two days later Mr. Magurno entered the state of coma. The wife did not give up hope and sent a second telegram. Finally the 27th of Feb., 1947, the sick man after a day of prolonged crisis fell asleep. The nun was away and the wife remained alone to watch him and at midnight she noticed that his sleep was more restful than usual. At 7:30 in the morning, noticing that he was awakening, she rushed to his side and said, "How do you feel?"
"I am cured, I am well. Padre Pio just left the room; open the window please and take my temperature." It was entirely normal.
"Ernesto," asked the astonished wife, anxious to hear and to know. "What are you saying? Have you seen Padre Pio? And what, did he tell you?"
“He came together with another monk, he examined my heart and said, 'This fever will go away, tomorrow you will be cured and within four days you can get up.' “Padre Pio looked around, examined the medicines, read the medical reports and remained in the room all night." To confirm this miracle a strong odor of violets was observed in the room.
Five months later on July 27 the couple went to San Giovanni and Mr. Magurno immediately recognized Padre Pio as the monk who cured him. Padre Pio received him with fond greetings and placing his hand on his shoulder said to him: "How much this heart has made you suffer."
"Go away child for you have been cured"
We must not think that Padre Pio arrives always unexpectedly at the bedside of the sick, for at times he announced in advance the time of his coming. Once a little sick girl told her parents the approximate hour of his arrival, and the parents in their simplicity not understanding the phenomenon went to meet him at the railroad station. When they returned to the child disappointed, they found her asleep.
"Padre Pio didn't come," her mother said sadly, as soon as she saw her waking.
"Why he just left!," the child answered. A young girl, cured also providentially from a grave infirmity, desired to test the power of Padre Pio and she came to him feigning the infirmity that once afflicted her.
“Go away child," he said, striking her jokingly on the shoulder, "go away for you are quite cured and be careful that you never again tempt the mercy of the Lord."
He miraculously appears to baptise a baby as promised
A couple from Genoa visited Padre Pio to sadly tell him that they had no children.
"Bring him to me to be baptized when he is born," was his answer. From this reply and many other similar ones we discover that Padre Pio was often able to foretell the sex of an unborn child.
The following year the fortunate couple returned with their baby boy, but in the Church of Our Lady of Graces there was no baptismal font and there was such a crowd in the church that they could not reach Padre Pio. The mother remained in the Parish House of San Giovanni Rotondo one mile away, whilst the father went to the monastery to protest that Padre Pio had invited them to come there, otherwise they would not have come. He waited and his wait was in vain. He returned to the Parish House to learn from his wife that even though Padre Pio at the time specified was very preoccupied with the people had come and baptized the baby.
Padre Pio miraculously appears and rescues a condemned woman
In a city of central Italy a teacher and ex-secretary of a Fascist organization was accused of having furnished arms and bombs to the Fascisti, who perpetrated an explosion that killed military and civilians. But the teacher was innocent. Taken by force from her home to be tried and shot she succeeded in bringing with her a Rosary and a photograph of Padre Pio. They conducted her to observe the destruction and to see the spectacle of the dead whose death they attributed to her. They then brought her to the place of execution.
Meanwhile some members of the firing squad entered her home with the pretext of searching for arms. Instead they began stealing money, objects of gold, clothing, until all of a sudden there thundered a shout, "Enough," so resolutely and imperiously that the soldiers fled abandoning their loot.
The sister of the condemned girl watching the whole scene cringing in a corner recognized in the shouting of "Enough," the voice of Padre Pio.
The order to aim and fire had been suspended because of the arrival of an interminable column of armored cars, horses, cannon, ambulances and marching troops. The commander of the firing squad remained standing on a car as if hypnotized.
The young teacher could hardly breathe as she reflected that her hour would come when the last soldier passed by. She began to pray to Padre Pio for the grace of seeing God's will in her execution. A gentleman approached her and asked what they had decided to do with her.
“I don't know, I no longer know anything, they are all away, there is only the commander there," as she pointed him out with a facial expression full of horror.
He was motionless as if cemented to his post. “Then consider yourself free and come with me."
He brought her in his automobile to her home where many women were comforting her griefstricken sister. The condemned girl threw herself into her sister's arms and then taking a picture of Padre Pio from the wall, kissed it and pressed it to her heart. In that instant she felt a hand gently patting her cheek.
A few months later the teacher went to San Giovanni to thank her saviour.
“Padre," she said, “my life will not be enough to thank you." He said: “My child, how much your faith caused me to run."
-St Pio of Pietrelcina, pray for us!
____________________________________________
A few quotes and sayings of Padre Pio:
"Prayer is the best weapon we possess. It is the key that opens the heart of God."
"Love our Lady and make her loved; always recite the Rosary and recite it as often as possible."
"You must always humble yourself lovingly before God and before men, because God speaks only to those who are truly humble and He enriches them with His gifts."
"Humility and purity are the wings which carry us to God and make us almost divine."
"Hold on tightly to the Rosary. Be very grateful to the Madonna because it was she who gave us Jesus."
"Love Jesus, love Him very much, but to do this, be ready to love sacrifice more."
"Imagine Jesus crucified in your arms and on your chest, and say a hundred times as you kiss His chest, "This is my hope, the living source of my happiness; this is the heart of my soul; nothing will ever separate me from His love."
"Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is I want it to be a place of consolation for You.."
The Death of Padre Pio on Friday, September 23, 1968: On another Friday, September 20, 1968, fifty years later, he celebrated Mass as he usually did at 5:00 A.M. He was extremely weak and was helped to the altar in a wheelchair. He celebrated the Mass while seated, with the permission of his spiritual son, Pope Paul VI. An unusual thing began to come about. Prayer groups and thousands of his Spiritual Children began to arrive in San Giovanni Rotondo atop Monte Gargano in southern Italy. There had been no arrangement made by the Capuchins, no organized gathering had been planned, yet his"children" as he affectionately called them gathered as if for some special occasion. Despite his weakness he heard confessions until his superior ordered him to rest. That was Friday.
On Saturday, he was so weak he had to spend the day in bed. The crowds gathered in Our Lady of Grace Church to pray for Padre Pio's recovery. God had healed him before; surely He would heal him again.
On Sunday, the 22nd, he did celebrate his 5:00 A.M. morning Mass for all his prayer groups. Again he was wheeled into the church and celebrated Mass while seated. His voice was weak. It was apparent that he had little strength. In fact, at the end of the Mass he almost collapsed. He was helped from the altar by his brother Friars, and as he was wheeled into the sacristy he was heard to whisper, "Oh my children!" Few of his children realized that he had just celebrated his last Mass. On that day, the crypt which had been made for Padre Pio was blessed by the bishop. Some years earlier, in 1959 at the opening of the new church, Padre Pio had said, "When the crypt is blessed God will call Padre Pio home." At that time, no one remembered his prophecy; they all felt he would be healed.
At noon, he came to the little window in his cell. His friars supported him as he waved his hand weakly and blessed the anxious crowd outside. About 1:00 A.M. the following morning Padre Pio rang the little bell beside him. He was seated in an arm chair dressed in his Franciscan habit. His superior sent immediately for the doctor in Padre Pio's hospital LaCasa Sollievo Della Sofferenza. Padre Pio went to confession. His Capuchin brothers administered the last rites. He renewed his Franciscan vows. His rosary was in his hands as it always was. He fingered the beads. He was unable to say the Hail Mary, but he repeated over and over again the names Jesus and Maria. About 2:30, he opened his eyes very wide and said: "I see two mothers." (His earthly mother and his Heavenly Mother.) As he exhaled his last breath, he whispered: "Maria."
Later his superior said that his head fell gently to his chest and that "he died like a little bird." For a few moments his cell was blooming with the heavenly fragrance that so often came from his wounds during his fifty years of suffering. It was estimated that about 100.000 attended his funeral. Most of them had come to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of his stigmata. They did not realize they would be witnesses to a great event in Church history - the "going home" of a future saint.
We have two champions near and dear to Christ, Our Lord: Our Blessed Mother and Padre Pio. Mary, filled with Grace and by far the most powerful intercessor in Heaven and Padre Pio, a humble priest who accepted the grace to surrender totally to Our Lord's Will. His spirituality is, as you know, centered on Christ, on his Church, on the Mass, on the Sacrament of Penance and around Our Blessed Mother and her Rosary. They are two champions who pray for us and protect us from the negative and destructive forces in the world.
Perhaps some of you would care to become a member of Padre's Pio's Spiritual Family. When he was just a lad, he had a vision; in it he saw thousands and thousands of faces from every country in the world. Many of them not yet born! Our Lord gave Padre Pio to understand that these were his spiritual children. Later in life, he promised them that, metaphorically speaking, he would wait outside The Gates of Heaven until every last one of his children was safely inside. He requires two things, 1) That we be a good practicing Catholic; 2) That we receive the Sacraments often. Not terribly difficult. Of course, only Padre Pio can say who is not his spiritual child. But we can ask him in prayer. We can send him our Guardian Angels. How often did he say, "Send me your Guardian Angel." If we do that and fulfill his two requirements we can rest assured that our dear Padre will include us in his "spiritual family." The Beatification of Padre Pio:
Padre Pio's beatification Mass took place in Rome on May 2, 1999. In a colorful and historic ceremony, Pope John Paul II declared the Church's belief that Padre Pio is among the elect of God's people. The Pope, a devotee of Padre Pio, bears witness to a prediction made by Padre Pio many years earlier - that Carol Woytila would become pope.
Padre Pio canonized:
In one of the largest such ceremonies in history, Pope John Paul II canonized Padre Pio of Pietralcina on June 16, 2002. It was the 45th canonization ceremony in Pope John Paul's pontificate. More than 300,000 people braved blistering heat as they filled St. Peter's Square and nearby streets. They heard the Holy Father praise the new saint for his prayer and charity. "This is the most concrete synthesis of Padre Pio's teaching," said the pope. He also stressed Padre Pio's witness to the power of suffering. If accepted with love, the Holy Father stressed, such suffering can lead to "a privileged path of sanctity."
Click here for more information on St Padre Pio
Novena to St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina
1ST DAY
Beloved St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you have had the signs of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ on your body. You have carried this stigmata for everyone, enduring both the physical and mental sufferings that racked your soul and body in a continual sacrifice. We beg you to pray for us, so that we will be able to accept both the little and the larger crosses we too must bear during our life on earth and to offer these sufferings to God, assuring us a place with him in Eternal Life.
�It is to your advantage to commit yourself to the sufferings that Jesus will send to you.� Jesus cannot tolerate seeing you afflicted and he will come to you and comfort you, blessing you with many graces for your soul�.� Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
2nd DAY
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, together with Our Lord Jesus Christ, you�ve been able to withstand the temptations of the Devil. You suffered the beatings and the oppression of the demon of hell, who wanted to have you abandon your journey of holiness. We beg you to pray for us so that, with your help and the help of all of the Heavenly Kingdom, we will be able to find the strength to set sin aside and to persevere in our faith until the day of our death.
�Have courage and do not fear the assaults of the Devil.� Remember this forever; it is a healthy sign if the devil shouts and roars around your conscience, since this shows that he is not inside your will�.� Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
3rd DAY
Virtuous St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you love Our Holy Mother very much and have received daily graces and consolations from her. Please, we beg you to pray to the Holy Mother for us.� Place in her hands the sorrow for our sins and our prayers of reparation, so that, as at Cana of Galilee, her Son says �yes� to His Mother and our name may be written in the Book of� Eternal Life.
�Mary has to be the star that illuminates your path and she will show you the secure way to go to the Celestial Father.� She will be an anchor to which you must cling in the hour of temptation�.� Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
4th DAY
Chaste St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you loved your Guardian Angel, who served you well as your guide and as a defender and messenger. The Angels brought the prayers of your spiritual children to you. We beg you to pray for us, so that we may learn to call on our Guardian Angel who is always ready to guide us to what is good and to avoid falling into sinful actions.
�Invoke your Guardian Angel, who will enlighten you and guide you.� God has given him to you for your protection, therefore, you should use him accordingly�.� Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
5th DAY
Prudent St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you have had a great devotion for the Souls in Purgatory for whom you have offered yourself as a victim to remit their punishments. Please pray for us and ask God to send us the same interest, compassion and love that you have for these souls. In this way, we will also contribute to reducing their suffering and, with our sacrifices and prayers, win for them their necessary Indulgences.
�My God, I beg you; let me bear the punishments that have been prepared for sinners and the souls in Purgatory. Multiply these punishments for me, so that you may forgive and save the sinners and free their souls from purgatory�.� Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
6th DAY
Obedient St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you have loved the sick more than yourself, because you were able to see Jesus in them. You have performed many miracles by healing patients in the name of Jesus and thereby giving them peace of mind. We beg you to pray for us, so that sick patients, through the intercession of Mary, can be healed and their bodies restored so that they may benefit from the Holy Spirit and, therefore, thank and praise God forever.
�If I knew that a person was afflicted in his mind, body or soul, I would beg God to set him free of his affliction.� I would gladly accept the transfer of his affliction to myself, so that he may be saved, and I would ask that he benefit from the fruits of these sufferings... if the Lord would allow me to do it�.� Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
7th DAY
Blessed St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you have worked in �God�s Plan for Salvation�, by offering your sufferings to free sinners from the chains of the Devil. We beg you to pray for us, so that unbelievers will be converted to the faith, that all sinners will repent in their hearts and that those with lukewarm hearts will find renewed enthusiasm for a Christian life. Finally, pray for all those who are faithful, so that they will persevere on their way to salvation.
� If the people of the World could only see the beauty of ones soul when it is in the grace of God, all sinners and unbelievers of this world would be instantly converted�. Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
8th DAY
Pure St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you experienced great love for your spiritual children and have helped them by purchasing them for Christ with the giving of your blood.� Please grant us, who have not met you personally, the opportunity to be considered your spiritual children. In this way, with your protection, guidance and strength, you will obtain for us a special blessing from God, so that we may meet Him on the day of our death at the gates of Heaven.
�It would be most fulfilling, if God would grant me just one wish (if it were possible); that He would say, �Enter Heaven!�� This is my one true wish; �That God would take me to Heaven at the same time that the last of my children and the last of the people who submitted to my priestly care have entered�.� Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
9th DAY
Humble St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you who loved the Roman Catholic Church, pray for us.�� May the Master send workers to the harvest and give them the strength and knowledge needed to be children of God. Pray that Our Holy Lady will unite Christian people everywhere, comforting all of them in one great house of the Lord, the lighthouse of our salvation in the storm of life... just as a lighthouse is a beacon for safe return when there is a storm at sea.
�You must always keep yourself on the straight and narrow path in the Holy Catholic Church because She is the only Bride of Christ and can bring you peace. She alone possesses Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, who is the true Prince of Peace�.� Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
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
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve: to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O merciful, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God
That we may be made worthy of the
promises of Christ. Amen.
Memorare of St. Bernard
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.
-- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
1ST DAY
Beloved St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you have had the signs of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ on your body. You have carried this stigmata for everyone, enduring both the physical and mental sufferings that racked your soul and body in a continual sacrifice. We beg you to pray for us, so that we will be able to accept both the little and the larger crosses we too must bear during our life on earth and to offer these sufferings to God, assuring us a place with him in Eternal Life.
�It is to your advantage to commit yourself to the sufferings that Jesus will send to you.� Jesus cannot tolerate seeing you afflicted and he will come to you and comfort you, blessing you with many graces for your soul�.� Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
2nd DAY
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, together with Our Lord Jesus Christ, you�ve been able to withstand the temptations of the Devil. You suffered the beatings and the oppression of the demon of hell, who wanted to have you abandon your journey of holiness. We beg you to pray for us so that, with your help and the help of all of the Heavenly Kingdom, we will be able to find the strength to set sin aside and to persevere in our faith until the day of our death.
�Have courage and do not fear the assaults of the Devil.� Remember this forever; it is a healthy sign if the devil shouts and roars around your conscience, since this shows that he is not inside your will�.� Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
3rd DAY
Virtuous St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you love Our Holy Mother very much and have received daily graces and consolations from her. Please, we beg you to pray to the Holy Mother for us.� Place in her hands the sorrow for our sins and our prayers of reparation, so that, as at Cana of Galilee, her Son says �yes� to His Mother and our name may be written in the Book of� Eternal Life.
�Mary has to be the star that illuminates your path and she will show you the secure way to go to the Celestial Father.� She will be an anchor to which you must cling in the hour of temptation�.� Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
4th DAY
Chaste St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you loved your Guardian Angel, who served you well as your guide and as a defender and messenger. The Angels brought the prayers of your spiritual children to you. We beg you to pray for us, so that we may learn to call on our Guardian Angel who is always ready to guide us to what is good and to avoid falling into sinful actions.
�Invoke your Guardian Angel, who will enlighten you and guide you.� God has given him to you for your protection, therefore, you should use him accordingly�.� Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
5th DAY
Prudent St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you have had a great devotion for the Souls in Purgatory for whom you have offered yourself as a victim to remit their punishments. Please pray for us and ask God to send us the same interest, compassion and love that you have for these souls. In this way, we will also contribute to reducing their suffering and, with our sacrifices and prayers, win for them their necessary Indulgences.
�My God, I beg you; let me bear the punishments that have been prepared for sinners and the souls in Purgatory. Multiply these punishments for me, so that you may forgive and save the sinners and free their souls from purgatory�.� Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
6th DAY
Obedient St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you have loved the sick more than yourself, because you were able to see Jesus in them. You have performed many miracles by healing patients in the name of Jesus and thereby giving them peace of mind. We beg you to pray for us, so that sick patients, through the intercession of Mary, can be healed and their bodies restored so that they may benefit from the Holy Spirit and, therefore, thank and praise God forever.
�If I knew that a person was afflicted in his mind, body or soul, I would beg God to set him free of his affliction.� I would gladly accept the transfer of his affliction to myself, so that he may be saved, and I would ask that he benefit from the fruits of these sufferings... if the Lord would allow me to do it�.� Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
7th DAY
Blessed St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you have worked in �God�s Plan for Salvation�, by offering your sufferings to free sinners from the chains of the Devil. We beg you to pray for us, so that unbelievers will be converted to the faith, that all sinners will repent in their hearts and that those with lukewarm hearts will find renewed enthusiasm for a Christian life. Finally, pray for all those who are faithful, so that they will persevere on their way to salvation.
� If the people of the World could only see the beauty of ones soul when it is in the grace of God, all sinners and unbelievers of this world would be instantly converted�. Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
8th DAY
Pure St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you experienced great love for your spiritual children and have helped them by purchasing them for Christ with the giving of your blood.� Please grant us, who have not met you personally, the opportunity to be considered your spiritual children. In this way, with your protection, guidance and strength, you will obtain for us a special blessing from God, so that we may meet Him on the day of our death at the gates of Heaven.
�It would be most fulfilling, if God would grant me just one wish (if it were possible); that He would say, �Enter Heaven!�� This is my one true wish; �That God would take me to Heaven at the same time that the last of my children and the last of the people who submitted to my priestly care have entered�.� Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
9th DAY
Humble St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you who loved the Roman Catholic Church, pray for us.�� May the Master send workers to the harvest and give them the strength and knowledge needed to be children of God. Pray that Our Holy Lady will unite Christian people everywhere, comforting all of them in one great house of the Lord, the lighthouse of our salvation in the storm of life... just as a lighthouse is a beacon for safe return when there is a storm at sea.
�You must always keep yourself on the straight and narrow path in the Holy Catholic Church because She is the only Bride of Christ and can bring you peace. She alone possesses Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, who is the true Prince of Peace�.� Padre Pio
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
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
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve: to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O merciful, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God
That we may be made worthy of the
promises of Christ. Amen.
Memorare of St. Bernard
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.
-- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
Movie: Life Of St. Padre Pio
LEAVE YOUR PRAYER REQUEST OR PRAISE REPORT IN THE COMMENTS SECTION
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