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| 'Pray, Hope and Don't Worry' |
“No matter how great the trial…never lose heart. Have recourse, with more childlike trust, to Jesus who will never be able to resist bestowing on you some little solace and comfort.” --Saint Padre Pio
O God, You gave Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, Capuchin priest, the great privilege of participating in a unique way in the passion of Your Son, grant me through his intercession the grace of …
which I ardently desire; and above all grant me the grace of living in conformity with the death of Jesus, to arrive at the glory of the resurrection. Amen.
Glory be to the Father… (three times)
Novena to Saint Padre Pio, from the National Centre for Padre Pio in Pennsylvania.
If you don't know of Saint Padre Pio, a humble Capuchin friar, now is the time to know him.
Here are excerpts from a biography posted on the website of the Padre Pio shrine located at Saint John's Church in New York, N.Y. The shrine has on display a few relics, including the one pictured above as well as a brown fingerless woolen glove and a white linen sock, which has the stains of Padre Pio's blood from his stigmata.
The saint was born Francesco Forgione on May 25, 1887. His parents, Orazio and Giuseppa Forgione, were poor country people. The Forgiones had eight children, three of whom died in infancy and two of whom became professed religious. They lived in the little farming village of Pietrelcina, in the Province of Benevento, not many miles from Naples. They were God-fearing people.
Padre Pio in his youth was deeply religious and early in life showed a love for recollection and for the things of God. At school, he learned diligently and possessed a lively intelligence, so much so that his father was determined to help his son financially to become a priest. In 1903, he began his novitiate with the Capuchins in Morcone, received the habit and was given the religious name of Pio (Pius, in English). After seven years of studies, he was ordained on August 10, 1910 at the age of 23. Because of delicate health, he was permitted to practice his ministry for several years in his parochial church of Pietrelcina.
In 1912, he received intermittently the invisible stigmata. Christ's sacred wounds were invisibly imprinted on his hands, feet and side. The wounds could not be seen, but the pain and swelling of them were there. In 1916, his superiors sent him to the friary in San Giovanni Rotondo. He lived there until he died.
On September 20,1918, at 31 years old, a piercing cry escaped his lips during his thanksgiving after Mass. He was pierced and bleeding from five deep wounds in his hands, feet and side. The stigmata had become visible and was to remain with him until shortly before he died. He was the first priest to be so honored! There have been about 300 stigmatisms in the history of the Church.
Naturally, he was subjected to endless and often very painful medical examinations. All kinds of healing treatments were applied but without success. The wounds remained completely free from healing or any infection for 50 years.
His day consisted of constant prayer, usually the rosary, Holy Mass at 5 AM, confessions all day long and through his secretaries responses to the 500 to 600 pieces of mail each day. Most of the letters were requests for prayers, cures or advice. He never took breakfast or supper. Dinner at noon consisted of nibbling at his food, but never more than 500 calories a day.
He died a holy death on September 23,1968 at 2:30 AM with the words "Jesus and Mary" on his lips and his rosary in his hands. His funeral rites were a triumph. It is estimated that over 100,000 viewed his body and 100,000 participated in the funeral rites.
