Our Dominic chose St. Padre Pio, who is a favorite in our household. Dominic did an amazing job--he is such a carefree, pure, and confident kid that he had no problem sharing his report to a gym full of people. He shared some very interesting facts about St. Pio, and I thought some of you might enjoy reading it... But mostly, I just wanted to share these adorable pictures of our little Pio; complete with the beard, the robe, and even the stigmata!
All the little saints singing a praise and worship song
and doing the sign language with the words
(Dominic is right in the middle of the group looking at the camera) :o)
St. Pio was a holy man who was born in 1887. He was born as Francesco Forgione, and was given the name Pio, which means “pious” in Italian, when he joined the Capuchin Order, a branch of the Franciscans. St. Pio was ordained a priest in 1910, but soon after, he became ill, experiencing loss of appetite, fainting spells, and terrible migraines. His fellow brothers and followers believe that he experienced severe spiritual suffering and even battled physically with the devil.
He heard confessions several
hours a day, and he had the ability to read souls; therefore, he could talk
with people about the sins they had forgotten to confess. He also had the ability to bilocate and
levitate. It is said that during World
War II, some pilots were trying to bomb his town. When they approached the town, they saw Padre Pio floating in front of their airplane!
When they tried to bomb the town, the bombs would not leave the
plane.
Perhaps the most famous and well known fact about Padre Pio is that he bore the stigmata, which are the wounds that Christ received on the cross. The bleeding was so severe that he constantly needed them to be wrapped in bandages. He said that he also experienced the pain from the crown of thorns and the scourging. Miraculously, he did not die of blood loss, which is amazing since he was constantly losing blood. Padre Pio’s health continued to worsen until 1960, when it reached a climax. On September 1968, he offered his last Mass. He died at 2:30 AM September 23, 1968, at the age of 81. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 16, 2002. His feast day is September 23, and he is the patron saint of civil defense volunteers and Catholic adolescents. January 22 is identified as “Don’t Worry Be Happy Day” in honor hos one of St. Pio’s well-known sayings: “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.”
Perhaps the most famous and well known fact about Padre Pio is that he bore the stigmata, which are the wounds that Christ received on the cross. The bleeding was so severe that he constantly needed them to be wrapped in bandages. He said that he also experienced the pain from the crown of thorns and the scourging. Miraculously, he did not die of blood loss, which is amazing since he was constantly losing blood. Padre Pio’s health continued to worsen until 1960, when it reached a climax. On September 1968, he offered his last Mass. He died at 2:30 AM September 23, 1968, at the age of 81. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 16, 2002. His feast day is September 23, and he is the patron saint of civil defense volunteers and Catholic adolescents. January 22 is identified as “Don’t Worry Be Happy Day” in honor hos one of St. Pio’s well-known sayings: “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.”
St. Padre Pio, pray for us and help us love Jesus as you did!
No comments:
Post a Comment