9/17/2009
The poor friar who prayed
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 | Most Rev. John Vlazny
Archbishop of Portland |
This coming Wednesday, Sept. 23, will be a fall Ember Day here in the Archdiocese of Portland, a day set aside for prayer and fasting. For many years now I have asked that our Catholic people pray on these Ember Days for the healing of child sexual abuse victims and their reconciliation with the church. This year I also asked that prayers be offered for effective faith formation for all in the archdiocese. Without solid faith formation it is very difficult for us to be faithful to our evangelizing mission.
But now that Pope Benedict has asked us to observe a Year for Priests, a time when we pray that all our priests will grow in holiness, I am also asking our people to pray for priests on this Ember Day. This is especially appropriate since Sept. 23 also happens to be the feast of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, more commonly known as “Padre Pio.” Padre Pio was a Capuchin priest who was renowned for holiness of life. He was a spiritual advisor, confessor and intercessor for many. He was world famous but he would often say, “I only want to be a poor friar who prays.” And pray he did. He devoted his life to the Eucharist and to prayer. He died on Sept. 23, 1968 at age 81.
Padre Pio was still alive when I was a seminarian in Rome in the early 1960s. Many of my classmates traveled to pray with him at his monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo. I regret that I never did take advantage of that opportunity. Pilgrims to San Giovanni Rotondo inevitably wanted to participate in the Eucharist Padre Pio celebrated and, if possible, receive absolution from him in the sacrament of penance. He had a reputation as a confessor of being able to “read hearts,” that is, he would know the secrets of penitents whom he had not met before. He was blessed with many supernatural gifts and they proved to become a source of suffering for him as a simple friar.
Padre Pio was an inspiration to many people, both in life and in death. Well before he was beatified and canonized, many people would travel to visit his tomb and seek his intercession for a variety of needs. Just as penitents had sought his healing touch during his lifetime, troubled individuals would seek his prayerful intercession after his death. His typical day involved celebrating Mass at 5 a.m. and then hearing confessions until noon. He would also hear confessions in the afternoon and usually he would spend 10 hours a day in the confessional. One of his most famous penitents was a young Polish priest, Karol Wojtyla, whose confession Padre Pio heard in 1947. At that time Padre Pio declared that this priest would one day be the Pope. We should not be surprised that Pope John Paul II strongly supported Padre Pio’s canonization.
Born in 1887, Padre Pio was ordained a priest in 1910. Eight years later, while making his thanksgiving after Mass, Padre Pio had a vision of Jesus. When that vision ended, he saw that he had the stigmata in his hands, feet and side. This only served to make his life more complicated because even more people came to see him, many simply out of curiosity. Like his spiritual father, St. Francis of Assisi, Padre Pio bore on his person the wounds of the suffering of Jesus Christ. They remained with him until shortly before his death, on Sept. 23, 1968.
Pope John Paul II canonized Padre Pio on June 16, 2002. It was a very hot day in Rome but more than 300,000 people were present in St. Peter’s Square and on nearby streets. He remains a very popular saint, especially among the Italian people. His acceptance of suffering and his devotion to the sacraments of the Eucharist and reconciliation in the service of God’s people provide a wonderful model for all of us priests as we strive to grow in holiness, with the help of your prayers during this Year for Priests. On the pilgrimage I will lead to Italy next spring, we pilgrims will spent three nights in San Giovanni Rotondo, devoting one full day to prayerful presence on that holy ground where St. Padre Pio ministered to God’s people who came from near and far.
Priests are often called upon to spend time with the sick and the suffering. Padre Pio always saw Jesus in these people. He was personally responsible for urging the building of a “house for the alleviation of suffering” on Mount Gargano near his monastery. Many people reported cures they believed they received from his intercession. The stigmata that he bore on his body caused not only physical pain but also spiritual suffering. People questioned the authenticity of the stigmata and as a result church authorities would not permit him to celebrate Mass publicly or to hear confessions for many years. He bore this suffering personally as well and this serves as a model for all of us who from time to time are called upon to endure humiliation or criticism which is unmerited and unfair. In that sense Padre Pio is a fine patron for priests, who experience much love and affirmation from their people, but also at times can be vilified and discredited.
Earlier this summer, Pope Benedict opened the Year for Priests on June 19, the feast of the Sacred Heart. Two days later, on Sunday, June 21, he visited St. Padre Pio’s tomb in San Giovanni Rotondo. There he celebrated Mass outside the church bearing the name of Padre Pio with the patients and staff of the hospital he established. The pope urged priests to look to Padre Pio for inspiration during this Year for Priests. The Holy Father reminded his listeners that it was love for the Eucharist that motivated Padre Pio’s “total willingness to welcome the faithful, especially sinners.” He also said, “The sacrament of penance must be valued more highly and priests must never resign themselves to seeing their confessionals deserted and limit themselves to noting loss of interest in the faithful for this extraordinary source of serenity and peace.”
Padre Pio, throughout his life, had a priestly anxiety for people who have strayed from the flock of Christ. It was his constant prayer that they would return and experience God’s mercy and rediscover the beauty and joy of being Christians. Padre Pio is an inspiration for all of us who serve the church as other Christs. As we observe our archdiocesan Ember Day on the feast of St. Padre Pio, please join me in praying for all priests that, like St. Padre Pio, they will be true spiritual fathers and generously give of themselves to all who suffer physically, emotionally and spiritually.
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