Picture of Padre Pio

(From the memories of Parish priest Mr. Ladislav Kuna, 2009)

 

Since the beginning of my ministry a married couple has been visiting me. I was present when they adopted a daughter who is eight years old now. I also christened Lucia. After a time she fell seriously ill.

Her parents have been seeking help for her in many ways but first of all they turn to God. Particularly they took a fancy to Padre Pio interceding with God for them. In the year 2008 they suggested that we could visit him together. In that year the Padre was exhumed – taken out of the grave. When the coffin had been opened, his body was found intact, as if he had only been sleeping peacefully. His body was exhibited to being paid public tribute.

Therefore we went there together in order to say our prayers to the saint. We went by car just for a drop-in and headed for the south-eastern coast of Italy, to the church of Merciful Virgin Mary in San Giovanni Rotondo. It was remarkable and we were moved when we had seen how piously Lucia went through our pilgrimage without any guidance from us, adults. Her deep experience was felt and we could hardly tear her away from the body of Padre Pio. She also took the initiative in writing a call...

During the trip Lucia's father asked if he could buy a gift for our church in Piešťany as well as a gift for the hospital in Banská Bystrica where Lucia had been treated. He kept his word and bought a statue for the hospital and a painting for the church.

In our parish we prepared a celebratory evening with projecting a film on Padre Pio in which a lot of people took part. We also invited a senior doctor from the hospital mentioned, who is known for his strong faith. The holy mass should have been celebrated by the bishop Eduard Kojnok who also admires Padre Pio a lot. However, at last he was not able to come, therefore it was me who celebrated the mass.

When the mass was over, the statue was passed on to the senior doctor while the painting was hung in our parish church and it is still there. I know that here, in Piešťany, Padre Pio has a lot of supporters. Many people honour the nice saint. He is close to them and I have met some of the people who exchanged letters with him when he was still alive.

St Pio from Pietrelcina was an Italian Capuchin priest. All his life was marked by suffering and supernatural intervention. He was the first stigmatized priest in the history of the Church – he had wounds as if he had been crucified, which were not of natural origin according to doctors' pronouncement. The wounds disappeared without a trace shortly before his death. Besides other gifts he could see right into people and find the proper words for them, which led them closer to God.

On his initiative „Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" (The House of Relief in Suffering) was built. It was a powerful attempt to make high-quality medical care available also for the poorest people. At the same time, in his home village a new monastery was being constructed. Both of them were built only thanks to the gifts of believers. Not a stone was necessary to be bought. As to his hospital, Padre Pio always emphasized: I don't want to bring relief only for the body – in that case it would be just a well-equipped clinic, „bring God to the ill".

Padre Pio died on 23rd September, 1968. The process of his beatification started as early as 1969. Officially, on 20th March, 1983 the process exploring the life and virtues of the servant of God began. On January 21, 1990 the diocesan phase of the process was finished. On 21st December 1998 Pope John Paul II issued a decree on the genuineness of the miracle which was performed on Maria Consiglia De Martino from Salerno and set the date of beatification to be May 2, 1999. On 28th September 2001, a miracle performed on a little boy, Matteo Colello was confirmed. As a result of advanced meningitis his internal organs failed and he fell into a coma. However, his family was saying prayers by the grave of Padre Pio and suddenly, the boy recovered completely.

 

More information can be found on the website:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pio_of_Pietrelcina
http://www.padrepiodevotions.org/index.asp?pagename=biography
http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20020616_padre-pio_en.html
http://padrepio.catholicwebservices.com/ENGLISH/ENGLISH_index.htm