The year was 2010 and it was January. I took a pilgrimage to the beautiful country of Italy. As a single person, I had travelled much and had seen numerous countries. I am taking advantage of my time as a single to travel, to learn about other people and cultures, and to learn more about God, the Church, and the saints. I had lived in that country before and had decided to take a side trip from Rome to San Giovanni Rotondo to visit the shrine of St. Padre Pio, the reknowned mystic, Capuchin friar, saint, and stigmatic. Even during Padre Pio’s life, crowds of people flocked to him. He received thousands and thousands of letters a year from people all over the world requesting his prayers. You can still see these bundles of letters on display at the shrine.
On the slow train from Rome, it took me several hours to reach Foggia. Once I reached the town of Foggia, I jumped off the train and had to wait another hour to take a bus through rocky and hill barren terrain to the small town of San Giovanni Rotondo. I stayed at a guesthouse run by some wonderful Filippino nuns.
The little town had the House for the Relief of Suffering, a large hospital built by St. Padre Pio. There was also a large church adjacent to the smaller church where St. Padre Pio had offered mass and heard confessions for years and years of his life.
In San Giovanni Rotondo, one could also visit the cell of Padre Pio. You could see his small room with a small bed. There was the place he had famously battled the devil. Sometimes he would come out of the battle with bruises. But the story goes that sometimes Our Lady would soften the battles by miraculously placing a pillow beneath his head after the fights. Next to his bed, you could see a small Our Lady of Lourdes holy water bottle.
St. Padre Pio definitely knew his mission. He had foreseen his mission in visions where St. Michael was present. He knew his mission was “to save souls.” He put his heart and soul into that mission.
Stories abound about this famous saint. He was gifted with several mystical gifts, such as the gift of healing, the gift of bilocation, prophecy, the ability to read hearts, and other gifts. Padre Pio even has a mysterious and sweet fragrance that is associated with him. When he is near, one can smell that miraculous fragrance. Some say it smells like incense, others say it smells like violets. Perhaps that most mysterious of all of his gifts is the gift of Christ’s wounds in the stigmata.
I had my own miracle through the intercession of this fascinating saint when I visited this shrine. At the time, I had been part of a large layoff by my company. I was searching for a new job. I had sent out several applications then decided to hop on a plane and make a pilgrimage to Italy. Next to the confessional where Padre Pio heard confessions, the modern day pilgrim can see thousands of notes. Pilgrims leave their petitions there, on the ground behind a low glass wall. I had prayed for Padre Pio’s intercession. I had prayed for the solution to numerous problems of friends and family, but I also said, “Padre Pio, you know I really do need a job.” I tossed my note over the wall. When I reached my room back at the guesthouse, in my heart I asked Padre Pio to be my spiritual father. Apparently, the story goes that Padre Pio loves Americans and will still, even now, accept any American as his spiritual son or daughter. The only condition he has is that this person must be trying to live in a virtuous way according to his or her state of life.
The next day I had to catch my flight from Rome. I took the slow train back from Foggia to Rome. I remember seeing an exquisite and colorful rainbow in the sky as I relaxed on the journey. It seemed to me at that time to be a sign to me from God of His love for me and of Padre Pio’s love for me. I felt very much at peace.
When I was at the airport, I waited for my plane to board. I checked my messages on my phone. One of the messages was from a recruiter at a company that I had applied to and interviewed at. “Stephanie, we are trying to get ahold of you. Please call us back. We would like to offer you a job,” the recruiter’s voice stated clearly on the message. Just as I was listening to that message, someone else’s cell phone was ringing and playing “Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah” simultaneously. The song was the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. It was like a sign from God! As John Paul II says “With God, there are no coincidences…” God had heard my prayer through the beautiful intercession of St. Padre Pio! I was so touched by this miracle and amazed at how quickly Padre Pio had worked. Truly this saint is a miracle worker who cares about helping us here on earth and wastes no time in doing so!
PRAYER TO ST. PADRE PIO
St. Padre Pio, please pray for all of us singles. Send each of us a gift today that we need personally. Thank you for your great love for us. Accept us as your spiritual sons and daughters. Take care of us and remember us in your prayers to the Lord. Help us to accept the suffering that comes our way in life and to offer it as a gift to the Lord to help save souls.
