Timothy, an old acquaintance of mine, was chosen out of millions of homeless individuals to get special help from a nonprofit group that helps those who are addicted and really need it. They got him a lot of money, put him in rehab, and located family members he didn’t know he had. Then, his family took him in. He has a job and an apartment and lives close to them now. He is content with his new existence. I can’t believe how likely it is that such an event will happen and that I will find out about it. I give all the credit to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, via the intercession of Padre Pio.
— Jim Stewart
She took the icon of St. Pio and put it on her stomach, asking him to aid her. Then she sank into a deep sleep. When she woke up, the doctor was at her bedside, looking at her. A test indicated that all of the kidney stones were gone. The doctor was very shocked. He couldn’t comprehend what had transpired. Mama Fe didn’t need surgery, so she was sent home from the hospital. I know that St. Pio, who is very close to God, Jesus, and Mother Mary, prayed for this healing. Thanks for everything, St. Pio.
— Celestino Petallar
It could be a picture of a wedding.
The Mass took place in an arcade outside the cathedral. I thought the Mass was held outside to accommodate everyone. Tom and I were in the very front row, only a few steps away from Padre Pio. His robes had very long sleeves, yet as he raised his hands during the Mass, I could see the wounds of Christ in his hands very vividly. It was wonderful how he honored the Mass. He really focused on the prayers of the Mass and recited them slowly.
He seemed like he was “somewhere else.” I thought he was in Heaven. We knew for sure that he was talking to God. I knew in my heart that he was a wonderful person. On May 25, 1957, Father Tom Kirby and I were ordained in the diocese of Pittsburgh. This was a memorable day because it was Padre Pio’s birthday. In 2007, I marked 50 years as a priest. Although I never had the opportunity to return to San Giovanni Rotondo, I would do so without hesitation. It was a wonderful experience.
— Father Ernest Paone
At the start of 2000, I really wanted to go to San Giovanni Rotondo to see Padre Pio’s shrine. I thought about making the trip a lot, and I ultimately made plans to go at the end of October of that year. I still didn’t understand why I had such a strong urge to arrive there. My grandson was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma cancer in early September of the same year. There was no known cure for this particularly aggressive type of cancer.
At that time, he was three and a half years old. This news really broke our hearts. I live in Dublin, Ireland, and my grandson lives in England. I flew to England to help take care of his older sister and spend time with the family. I got in touch with Cathy Kelly, who operates the Padre Pio Information Centre in Victoria, London. She was really nice and let me carry the mitten from Padre Pio to my grandson in the hospital. I handed Cathy my passport as a sign of upright faith, and she promised to provide it back to me when I gave her the mitten back. We put the mitten on my grandson’s head all night, and I begged Padre Pio to save this youngster.
My grandson had an operation at the Royal Marsden Cancer Hospital in London. He had a malignant tumor the size of a golf ball taken out of his head, and doctors told him he only had four months to live. He also got chemotherapy and radiation on his brain and spine. The doctor told him that this treatment might slow down his growth, which would be an adverse effect. But the doctor didn’t think he could make it. When I went back to Cathy Kelly’s office the next day to return the mitten, I was overwhelmed by the intense smell of magnificent roses that seemed to continue forever.
I was crying and feeling sad and confused about what was going on. Cathy remarked that it meant Padre Pio had heard my prayer. At that point, I knew that Padre Pio would take care of this child. Now I had a reason to go to San Giovanni Rotondo. I got up at 5 am when the chapel door opened and stayed at Padre Pio’s grave until 8 am, talking to him, praying, and pleading with him to heal our grandchild.
If our grandson got better, I promised Padre Pio that I would do something for him. I didn’t know how I would help Padre Pio at the time, but I would find a way. I began the Padre Pio Devotions in Malahide, Dublin, after I got back from San Giovanni Rotondo. I had promised Padre Pio that I would do something for him. We used to have the devotions at the Carmelite Monastery in Seapark, Malahide, but after six years we had to move to a bigger chapel because so many people came.
We are now at the Sacred Heart Church in Seabury, Malahide, Dublin. We get together on the first Friday of each month. We have a choir and an organist. We start with Eucharistic Adoration, and then Fr. leads the Mass. Angelus, a Capuchin Priest, gives the congregation a mitten from Padre Pio after Mass. We always have a full church, with between 300 and 400 people there, and Fr. Angelus teaches us nice things about Padre Pio during his homily.
In September of last year, the people in our Prayer Group acquired a lovely statue of Padre Pio at San Giovanni Rotondo. It was sent to Dublin for our Padre Pio Devotions, which have been going on for fourteen years now. In September of each year, I plan a trip to Italy. For the last fourteen years, I’ve done these excursions every year. We have been to Rome, Assisi, Cascia, the Holy House of Loreto, Lanciano to see the first Eucharistic Miracle, Mount St. Angelo, where St. Michael the Archangel appeared, San Giovanni Rotondo, and more on our vacations.
Every year, we normally have a group of about 50 individuals. We go to all the places in San Giovanni Rotondo that are connected to Padre Pio. These include his cell, his old tomb, the gorgeous new tomb where we can see his body, the friary, the hospital, and the English office, where we watch a video of Padre Pio and receive a blessing with some of his relics. We also go to Manopello, which is the sanctuary of the Holy Face.
Our grandchild is 19 years old and 5 feet tall. Our grandchild is 11 inches tall and very healthy. Padre Pio has done so many beneficial things for our Prayer Group members throughout the years that we will always be thankful for this one. Padre Pio makes you work for him in so many ways that it’s astounding. He got me to go to San Giovanni Rotondo when I really wanted to go, even before I knew my grandson was sick. I never thought I would be responsible for the Padre Pio Devotions in Dublin or the trips to Italy, but I really enjoy doing them. You have to work hard for Padre Pio. He is a wonderful friend of ours!
– Noreen Handley
