Solemn Feast of St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Solemn Feast of St. Pio of Pietrelcina
CHURCH OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST
WEDNESDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 2009
Solemn Feast of St. Pio of Pietrelcina
CHURCH OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST
WEDNESDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 2009
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Solemn Feast of St. Pio of Pietrelcina
CHURCH OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST
WEDNESDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 2009
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Solemn Feast of St. Pio of Pietrelcina
CHURCH OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST
WEDNESDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 2009
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Padre Pio Attracts All to Holiness
SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO—On Sunday, 21 June the Holy Father
Benedict XVI paid a pastoral visit to San Giovanni Rotondo. At the
Shrine the Pope was welcomed by Br Mauro Jöhri, General Minister,
by the General Definitors; by Br Aldo Broccato, Provincial Minister
and by the San Giovanni Rotondo Fraternity. The Pope then made a
brief visit to the first-floor of the Friary, to cell n. 1, where Padre Pio
died. He then went down to the crypt of the Shrine, to venerate the
mortal remains of Saint Pio. Afterwards the Pope celebrated the
Eucharist with a crowd of over 30,000 people. Speaking to the friars
during his homily, the Pope said:
…You are the heirs of Padre Pio, and the legacy he has left you is
holiness... […] This was always his prime concern, the priestly and
fatherly anxiety he had: that people would come back to God, would
experience his mercy and, being inwardly renewed, would
rediscover the beauty and the joy of being Christians, of living in
communion with Jesus, of belonging to his Church and living the
Gospel. Through his own witness, Padre Pio attracted people to the
path of holiness, showing by example the “track” that leads to it:
prayer and charity. Many of you, religious men and women and lay
people, are so taken up with the thousand occupations needed in the
service of pilgrims, or of the sick in the hospital, that you risk
neglecting the one truly necessary thing: listening to Christ in order
to accomplish God’s will. When you realize that the risk is real, look
at Padre Pio: at his example, his sufferings; and invoke his
intercession…
In the afternoon Benedict XVI visited the “Home for the Relief of
Suffering”, where he met the patients and hospital staff. Then, in the
Church of Saint Pio, he met priests, religious men and women and
young people. The General Minister addressed these words to the
Holy Father:
Help us, Holy Father. Help us feeble friars to come closer to Saint
Pio, to his person, his spirituality, his charism. Help us come closer to
this gift that God has given to the Church, to the Capuchin Order and
to humanity at large, with that fear and trembling felt by those who
know they are coming into the presence of the divine. Holy Father,
your coming here today is a great gift to us. We feel encouraged by
your presence to continue on our journey as consecrated persons
with greater fidelity, following Christ as Saint Francis told us.
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Saint Padre Pio Oil
One woman’s simple faith spreads
devotion
to Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
Based on an interview by Donna Smith Kresel
Many will remember Antoinette Ciorciari from a previous interview
in our column Conversations last summer. Antoinette is not only that
welcoming presence who greets you at the Office of
friendly and
The custom of blessing oil in honor of a saint or blessed
has a long history in the devotional life of the Church.
Often times, pilgrims would go visit and pray at the
tombs of the martyrs to seek spiritual help. At the
martyrs tomb there would be oil lamps burning to light
and bear witness to the saint’s life.
For those who could not go visit, often times pilgrims
would take home with them some of the oil from the
tomb, to bring home to use in blessing for their family
and friends who were too ill to make the trip themselves.
Healing occurred through the act of faith in which the
application of the oil evoked.
It is with this custom that we bless oil in honor of Saint
Pio of Pietrelcina.
The oil is to help us implore Gods' loving tender mercy
for the sick, and to affirm our faith in the Communion of
the saints.
Saint Padre Pio Oil is available at the Church office of
Saint John the Baptist: 212-564-9070.
Mission & Development where she serves as receptionist, but also the
coordinator of the religious articles in the gift shop made available at
our 31st Street location.
Few may realize that it was Antoinette’s inspiration, deep faith and
driving force which assisted in the spread of devotion to our
Capuchin brother St. Pio through her idea of the use of St. Padre Pio
Oil and the Padre Pio scarf [shown above].
Antoinette relates that for as long as she could remember, devotion to
Padre Pio was part of her family’s practice. She grew up with the
stories of the famous stigmatist, shared by her father Carmine, who
knew Padre Pio during the war years while serving in Italy. He
recalled what a privilege it was to serve Mass in the healing presence
of this holy Capuchin friar.
Over the decades, St. John Church in mid-town Manhattan, through
the efforts our brother Fr. Armand Dasseville has become the center
of devotion to St. Pio. Fr. Armand’s legacy continues through the
Padre Pio Garden seen as an oasis of peace and healing in a bustling
metropolis; visited by hundreds of transient workers each work week.
Moved by her father’s memory and the efforts of the Capuchins at
Saint John Church, Antoinette began her then small enterprise by
offering 100 bottles of Padre Pio Oil to share with the faithful who
were unable to gather for devotion.
With her usual enthusiasm and excitement, Antoinette remarked that
the supply was depleted in less than two weeks. Today, several
thousands of bottles of St. Padre Pio Oil have been offered to the
followers and friends of St. Pio who continue to gather each year on
the 23rd of September at St. John the Baptist Church in his honor.
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