A Singular Occurrence Dear Friends, Among Marian apparitions, Garabandal is distinguished by the ardor of the embrace of the Mother

of God. It was customary for Our Lady of Mount Carmel to kiss the four young girls and to be kissed in return. Our Lady reverently venerated the sacramental objects offered to her by the visionaries on behalf of others; rosaries, holy medals, missals, and wedding rings. The girls in ecstasy had the uncanny ability to return the appropriate object directly to the owner not knowing beforehand who had presented which object. The final apparition on November 13, 1965 was expressly to kiss the accumulated articles to which Our Lady attached a solemn promise for those who use these objects with faith, Jesus will perform prodigies. It is important to recall at the time of the Spanish Civil War, the Asturias, the region in which Garabandal is located, was a stronghold for the advance of Communism in Spain. The faithful of this region and the other adjacent northern areas were forbidden by law to own rosaries, medals and other symbols of Christianity. These objects, which had been passed down through the centuries in devout families, were hidden in those troubled times. Bearers who displayed religious items in public were ridiculed and assaulted or harassed by the authorities. For the apparitions, small tables were set out to accommodate these objects. A makeup compact was once laid 1

down on one of the tables. This provoked an outcry against what seemed like a frivolous act, yet the small gold case remained in place. During the next visitation, Our Lady sited the compact and rejoiced, This belongs to my Son. Later it was revealed that the vessel had secretly conveyed consecrated hosts to those in hiding during the Civil War. The apparition of August 6, 1962 is by contrast the only known occurrence of the Archangel Saint Michael embracing a physical object. And so on this day, fifty years ago, in San Sebastian de Garabandal, three Hospitaller Brothers of Saint John of God climbed the ox cart path that connected the remote mountain village to the outside world, arriving unnoticed in the sweltering midday heat. They did not know it, but they had come to receive a mysterious honor from the Prince of the Holy Angels. +++ A sketch of the Saint Born in Portugal in 1495, Joao Cidade Duarte abandoned his family as a small boy. He never returned. He tramped across Europe in violence and plunder as a thieving quartermaster in the imperial infantry. His service concluded, he returned to Iberia a forty year old prodigal with much to atone for. On the feast of Saint Sebastian, John went to hear a sermon by Saint John of Avila. He was so devastated with loathing for his sins that he turned on himself in fury and for a time sought a life of humiliation for Christ. He was cast into an 2

asylum and cruelly beaten for days. It was John of Avila who came to absolve and release the man who would become John of God. Raised to holiness, Johns heart turned with compassion to his fellow incarcerates in the asylum. With a soldiers knowledge of organization and field medicine, he began to shepherd the homeless, the abandoned, and the afflicted of Granada sheltering them and treating their wounds. He supported orphans, students, harlots, and the unemployed with his own labor, encumbering himself with their pecuniary debts, often suffering accusations and slandered by those he tried to help. After thirteen years in this way, he died a heroic and saintly death contracting pneumonia while attempting to rescue a drowning companion. He was found in death, kneeling before the crucifix, his face pressed to the wounded feet of Christ. Saint John of God left the world a small band of valiant hearts. The legends of the Order relate that often on the brink of collapse John of God was revived by the angels. Saint Raphael accompanied him on his rounds, healing and imparting the peace of God to the chaos. To this day the image of the Angelic Physician clothed in the habit of San Juan de Dios can be found in these hospitals. Murillo, on his canvas in the Prado, depicts Saint John of God as frail, struggling under the weight of the invalid he is carrying, menaced by the encircling dark. The saint is 3

accompanied by a powerful archangel who strengthens him, illuminating his face and his path. +++ Passing before the humble stone church of San Sebastian, the three religious came upon the young visionaries who told them, without affectation, of the wonders that were happening in the village and of the importance of the October 18 Message. The brothers rested under the nine pines of the apparition eating lunch and enjoying the discussion. Conchita accompanied them but she did not eat. She told them Mass had not been offered in the village that day and the Angel would bring her Holy Communion. Until he arrived she would remain fasting. The afternoon passed swiftly. At a natural pause in the conversation, Conchita moved discretely away from the group and fell to her knees, head tilted back in ecstasy. As Brother Juan Bosco recorded in his notes, Still kneeling and in the same posture, the girl made the Sign of the Cross very slowly and devoutly. She said words in a low voice and gently struck her chest three times. She was praying in ecstasy. As the prayer ended, she opened her mouth, put out her tongue as in receiving Communion, withdrew her tongue and closed her mouth slowly. Two of us heard the slight noise of her swallowing something. She held this position and we heard her low voice, audible, but we could not hear it to sufficiently understand the words. 4

Then the ecstasy took a decidedly different turn. Then the girl took his (Brother Luis) Scapular in her hands. She stood up, raised the Scapular in a very solemn way as though presenting it to someone. She lowered the Scapular and again dropped abruptly to her knees. Returning the Scapular to Brother Luis, Conchita repeated this gesture for the Scapulars of Brother Juan and Brother Miguel offering each one up reverently. With a concluding Sign of the Cross, the ecstasy ended and Conchita returned to normal with a shy smile. Have you had Communion? Yes Why did you take our Scapulars and raise them up? The Angel asked me to do it, to kiss them. Have you spoken to the Angel? Yes What did he say to you? The Angel knew you. He told me that Our Lord and the Blessed Virgin are happy with you. To this exterior sign was added an interior grace for Brother Juan. 5

The impression was very great. Particularly, I was stunned and with much interior sentiment of having sinned so many times, and because of this I implored mercy. I have never felt in my life such as strong feeling of the supernatural. Afterwards, as the years passedthis experience has always been present in me. I have great confidence in the love of the Virgin and an accentuated fervor for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. I believe the essence of the grace given to us is our own perseverance in the Order. Brother Juan returned again in 1966 after the apparitions had ended. He was curious to find out if anything similar had happened. Conchita confirmed the only thing the Angel had kissed had been our Scapulars. This leads one to wonder about the significance of this profound display of angelic predilection and solidarity. Conchita is quite clear in stating that the brothers themselves were pleasing to God. Considering over one thousand priests and religious attended the apparitions and there exists no other record of acknowledgment by Saint Michael, the singularity of the event appears to lend special importance. Brother Juan Bosco, in his notes, believed this reciprocated the high esteem given to Saint Raphael in their community. More generally, the gesture conveyed a salute for the work of the Brothers who in their ministry of attendance and healing and their love for the poorest, the most neglected and infirm reflect the virtues of the angels. Could there be some further explanation? 6

On July 19, 1936, by decree of the radically secularist government, the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God were declared enemies of the people of Spain. Ninety eight brothers were murdered in the Red Terror. The Soviet backed persecution of the Roman Catholic Church executed six thousand eight hundred thirty two religious, killed tens of thousands of lay faithful in odium fidei, and desecrated and destroyed over twenty thousand holy places. The sons of San Juan de Dios remained with their patients, faithful to the fourth vow of the Order never to abandon the sick except in death. They made no attempt to flee the coming violence. Seventy one brothers martyred between July 24 and December 14, 1936 were beatified by Blessed John Paul II including more than forty in Madrid and Barcelona who refused to leave the hospitals and were shot on site. Some were exultant at their execution, commending each other to imminent paradise. Their last words were of forgiveness, pardoning their murderers. All were steadfast. Could the martyrdom which preceded the apparitions by a quarter century have had an influence on the occurrence of August 6, 1962? It is a wonderful idea to contemplate. At this time, there exists no evidence directly linking the two. Perhaps in the days to come or with the definitive resolution of the Aviso and Great Miracle this extraordinary event may be more completely illuminated. As we share recollections of the events of fifty years ago we should honor this day, worthy of remembrance for the 7

devotees of Our Lady of Mount Carmel de Garabandal. This day, the Angelic Patron of the Church of Jesus Christ venerated the Scapular of Saint John of God three separate times. In Union of Prayer, The Workers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel de Garabandal Lindenhurst, NY USA

The Golden Anniversary of Garabandal Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary July 2, 1961 July 2, 2011 Dear Friends, Perhaps only a few know the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16, 1858, was the date of the last apparition at Lourdes. Saint Bernadette Soubirous said, All I saw was Our LadyShe was more beautiful than everI have never seen 8

her so beautiful before. Better known is that as the sun danced at Fatima on October 13, 1917 the three young shepherds saw Our Lady of Mount Carmel give the final blessing to the crowd. And on this day in 1961, fifty years ago, the Most Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven appeared again under this very same title in the remote mountain village of Garabandal. Lourdes, Fatima and Garabandal are one; a trilogy drawn in an arc across Portugal, Spain and France and united by a shared and increasingly amplified theme. The advocates of Garabandal contend that the Spanish apparitions are the key to understanding this great Marian Age of the Church. Garabandal is the bridge linking what has come already and what has still yet to occur. At each of the three the Message is repeated with growing urgency; the mounting offenses of sinful men and women warrant supernatural punishment upon the whole earth. Those who love God, especially within the Roman Catholic Church, must undertake sacrifice and penance in reparation for these wicked acts but first they must strive to be truly virtuous, drawing nearer to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and by fervent prayer. This is the First Message of Garabandal. Given to the four seers on July 4, it was publically proclaimed on October 18, 1961 one year to the week before the Second Vatican Council convened. This timing is noteworthy and may have been to remind the Council Fathers to focus upon the importance of 9

Fatima, which was bearing tremendous fruit in the Church but whose requests had not yet been fulfilled. In the intervening years, Our Lady of Mount Carmel returned to Garabandal over two thousand times. The period of the apparitions was filled with a host of astonishing prodigies which have been recorded on film and have been made available to the public for over four decades. All of the ecstasies contained acts of Christian devotion which included the sign of the cross, genuflection, the public recitation of prayers, and the reverencing of crucifixes or other sacramentals by the seers which were subsequently offered to bystanders to kiss. These acts provide a strong and enduring argument for the supernatural origin of the phenomena. Our Lady, with maternal affection, personally instructed the young seers teaching them the devotions so dear to Heaven: Eucharistic adoration and frequent communion, the rosary and scapular, devotion to Saint Michael, sacrifices and penances consistent with ones state in life, prayers for the dead, for sinners, for priests and for the Holy Father, Acts of Love, to willingly obey the requests of their parents, to remain obedient to their pastor and local bishop. Over the course of years, a schedule of unprecedented supernatural events was forecast to the visionaries to be made known to the public. In order of occurrence, they are the Aviso, or Warning, which will be felt by everyone on the planet, an inward purification that will correct the conscience and reveal to each person the state of their soul before God. 10

Within twelve months following the Warning, a Great Miracle located in the village of Garabandal which will cure the sick and convert sinners, verifying the Message, and attested by a visible sign left over the site of the apparitions until the end of time. A further period of time will then be granted by God for amendment. At the end of this period, if no correction in the state of the world is evident, a global chastisement, supernatural in origin and of unprecedented severity, will ensue. As the apparitions drew to a close in 1965, a Second Message was given through Saint Michael on June 18 disclosing that the cup was now flowing over that many cardinals, many bishops and many priests are on the road to perdition and taking many souls with them and specifically that less and less importance is being given to the Eucharist. The Second Message continued; the faithful who distinguished themselves apart from those going astray would receive pardon from God and grace for amendment through the intercession of Saint Michael the Archangel. Our Lady then assures us of her great love and continued assistance in the face of these last warnings and closes with another call for sacrifices and devotion to the Passion of Jesus. The apparitions ended on November 13, 1965, a few weeks before the close of the Council. No further messages have been addressed to the faithful since that time. Our Lady requested her Message be made known and the formal promotion of Garabandal began soon after the 11

apparitions ceased. The New York Center in Lindenhurst was incorporated in 1968 and the work begun by many hands in the United States and Europe. The Second Message was extremely controversial for the time and the early promoters met with much resistance which the seers themselves had prophesied. Meanwhile great changes were coursing through the Church, not all welcome. Odious impieties were introduced in places, born of a spirit of disobedience, irreverence and discontinuity which attempted to hijack the good work of the Council. The instances of sacrilege, apostasy, iconoclasm and the suppression of authentic religious charism similar to other such periods in Church history came again. His Holiness, Paul VI remarked that the smoke of Satan had entered the Church. Much was lost and many sorrows born in those decades of turmoil and confusion whose iniquities still reach us. Much of the disorder and division that afflicted the Church began to be reflected in civil society. A leading Fatima author and early Garabandalist, Father Joseph Pelletier A.A. wrote about the deteriorating situation calling it a world in crisis. At the time of the apparitions, Our Lady had confided to Conchita three more popes then the mysterious el fin de los tiempos which would not be the end of the world, the papacy or the Church but would mark off a certain era seen clearly in retrospect. The third of these popes was Blessed John Paul II whose heroic reign was remarkable for its longevity and profound spiritual victories. His pontificate did 12

much to curb the excessive outrages and initiate the true renewal promised by the Second Vatican Council. John Paul II was renowned for his total devotion to Our Blessed Mother. Following the failed assassination attempt on his life, this courageous Holy Father turned his consideration to Fatima and the resolute fulfillment of the requests made there. Significant for Garabandal in these years; the raising of prohibitions on the administration of sacraments in the village a first favorable sign, the canonization of twentieth century seers like Saint Faustina Kowalska who prophesied coming events similar in description to those announced at Garabandal, the official recognition of the apparitions at Akita, Japan which foretold the coming of a global chastisement, and the canonization of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina who had corresponded with the seers and was openly favorable to the apparitions. Throughout this period the promotion of the Message was carried on by a small community of lay promoters who gave talks and held conferences. At the very heart of the movement was a cadre of learned priests, most of whom were witnesses of the apparitions. By the turn of the millennium, forty years from the apparitions, these good men had passed to their eternal reward. The time had come for a new dispensation which presented itself in the form of the internet. Via this new form of communication the Message of Garabandal would eventually reach millions of people in the first decade of the new millennium, greatly revitalizing a movement whose first generation had suffered attrition and loss from the passage of time. 13

As his pontificate drew to a close John Paul II focused his remaining strength intently on the importance of the Eucharist. He declared 2004-2005 the Year of the Eucharist again acclaiming the Blessed Sacrament the source and summit of Christian life. By this act he reaffirmed the centrality of the Eucharist and advanced the project of restoring true reverence in accord with the implied request of the Second Message. With this grace the era of the three popes came to an end on April 2, 2005 as the great Holy Father passed into eternal life. Like all occasus saeculi, the transition through which we are presently passing is marked by tremendous upheaval in the natural world and the affairs of men. Natural catastrophes of incredible magnitude occur more frequently. The social, economic and political systems become fragile as the common morality which bonds us together dissolves. The Church is again persecuted by Communism in Asia and Islamism in many lands. In the West, the Church suffers derision and intimidation from a materialist and agnostic secularism which has gained the commanding heights. All this heralds the coming of a new order. While the Church concludes the long purification of the scandal, our Holy Father Benedict XVI declared 2009-2010 the Year for Priests and closed a year of prayer for priests with the consecration of all clergy to the Immaculate Heart at Fatima on May 13, 2010. This most significant act magnifies Our Ladys request at Garabandal for prayer for priests to uphold the apostolic tradition of the sacred priesthood of 14

Jesus Christ which continues to reconcile the world to God through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This is the chronicle of the first fifty years of Garabandal. The Message has passed the test of time. No longer controversial, it is becoming a source of hope to many searching for a second chance for the world. Next, we anticipate the Warning which, despite the necessary pain of the revelation of our own sinfulness, we need urgently. Garabandal Visionary Jacinta Moynihan said memorably in a 1977 interview, The Warning will occur when the situation is at its worst. And so we who are devoted to Our Lady of Mount Carmel de Garabandal continue our prayerful vigil in great expectation. In Union of Prayer, The Workers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Lindenhurst, NY USA

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Joey Lomangino and Padre Pio

By Connie Hoebich

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In 1963, Joey Lomangino was spiritually converted and received a miraculous physical cure from God through Padre Pio. Since that very day, Joey has been a man of prayer, ever increasing; a daily Communicant and a daily Rosarian. The overflow of his spiritual life has brought about the founding and inspirational impetus of an organization whose apostolic activities and rich spiritual fruits have reached around the world.

The kernel from which all has sprung is Joeys celebrated conference, a slide-talk presentation on Padre Pio, Fatima and Garabandal which he has given some 4,000 tiimes in 25 states in America and 11 other countries. From its beginning- when Joey would go house to house with a photo album under his arm to tell people about Padre Pio and at the same time to tell of his own convictions regarding Garabandal-there have been here and there rumblings of discontent from well-meaning devotees of Padre Pio: That Joey is a swell guy, and Garabandal is probably authentic but why talk about the two matters together? Why connect our saintly Padre with apparitions that havent yet received the endorsement of the official Church? That the question should be raised at all perplexes those who know Joey well, for they know that is was Padre Pio who opened Joeys heart to God, Padre Pio who taught him to pray, and, through prayer, to find peace and purpose. And they know that it is grace, obtained through prayer, that has turned Joey from a shy, introverted, non-religious, scantily educated blind man into a dynamic lay missionary, a man who stands up before thousands of people-from bishops in great cathedrals to murderers in federal prisonsand holds their attention for two and more hours as he speaks, often effecting a change for the better in their lives. Once when Joey was standing with a friend near Padre Pio, the friend pointed to Joeys eyes. The Padre said in response: I cant give him sight for his eyes, but I can give him sight for his soul. He did, and Joey wouldnt trade it for anything in the world, 20-20 vision included. Joeys simple and to the point thought is: If only more people could know about Padre Pio, they could be converted just as I was. These are the reasons Joey preaches Padre Pio, with deep gratitude and conviction. Now this same Padre Pio who has meant so much to Joey lived in his own life every aspect of the message of Garabandal. And it was he who first pointed Joey in the direction of Garabandal. Padre Pio assured Joey of the truth of the apparitions, and he told him to go to the village. As far as Joey is concerned, the twoPadre Pio and Garabandal-are forever connected in his heart and, therefore, his apostolate must give witness to both.

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CONVERSION AND CURE The accident that blinded Joey in 1947 flung his family into poverty. For seven years they lived, for the most part, on the charity of neighbors and friends. Fortunes changed in 1954 when Joey and his brothers were offered a business venture. Through Joeys natural business acumen, a lot of hard work and perseverance on the part of everyone in the family and- Joey believes-Gods blessings, the business paid off. Now, in 1961, Joey was 31, financially successful, and much overworked. On doctors orders he took a vacation trip to Europe, where he stayed with relatives in Bari, Italy. While there, his uncle persuaded him to visit San Giovanni Rotondo, the monastery home of Padre Pio, 75 miles away in Foggia. Reluctantly, for he just wasnt interested, Joey went to Foggia, arriving in time for the 5 a.m. Mass celebrated by the famous stigmated priest. After Mass, Joey and his uncle knelt with many other men for the Padres blessing. When he came to Joey, Padre Pio called him by name, touched him on the cheek and blessed him. That was all. And yet it was everything, for it crystallized all that Joey heard and sensed during this brief stay at the Rotondo-the great affection of the people for this priest, and his extraordinary holiness. For two years afterwards, Joey couldnt get the presence of Padre Pio out of his soul. In going to Foggia, Joey had made a tiny opening in his heart for God. Grace had entered and begun the transforming work. Mass and the Sacraments were still only occasional events in Joeys life, but now he was experiencing the turbulence of conversion. He began to have lights of understanding-about his blindness and the family hardships that had weighed so heavily on him. He began to understand why the financial comfort hed dreamed about, struggled for, and attained hadnt brought the joys or peace hes thought it would. He began to fathom the emptiness. When Joey returned to Italy in 1963, it was specifically to be again in the presence of that holy man whose seemingly simple blessing had wrought such wonders in his soul. On the third day of this second visit to the Rotondo, Joey knelt for confession. There was no partition between him and Padre Pio, who grabbed him by the wrist and said, Joey, confess yourself. Stunned by this face-to-face encounter, Joey couldnt speak right away. The Padre said again, Joey, confess yourself. Joey began: Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. but the priest interrupted him. Joey, youre angry, eh? No, Father, I work hard, Im tired No, no, Joey, youre angry, eh? As Joey searched his soul for unclouded truths, Padre Pio raised his arm and said, I call Jesus and Mary for you. At that moment, which Joey recalls as though it were now, he understood that Padre Pio knew his soul. Joey says, I felt deeply sorry for every sin Id ever committed, and I understood that God knew this and Padre Pio knew this, and that I was being absolved of all. The Padre touched Joeys lips, made him kiss the stigmated hand, caressed him and said, Joey, a little patience, a little courage and youre going to be all right.

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A few days later, Joey knelt with about 50 other men outside the cloister in the Rotondo waiting for Padre Pio to pass by. Suddenly, Joey threw his arms up and plunged backward to protect himself from what he thought, in his darkness, was an explosion. Actually, it was a scent of roses. But Joey had had no sense of smell for so long that the sensation suggested an explosion to him. Suddenly Padre Pio was next to him and had grabbed him by the arm: Joey, dont be afraid. Though his olfactory nerve had been severed 16 years earlier in the accident that took also his eyes, Joey had regained his sense of smell. He has no physical faculty to smell, but his sense of smell is as acute as anyones-by the grace of God working through Padre Pio. THE BIG QUESTIONS-AND THE BIG ANSWERS The friend who had accompanied Joey to San Giovanni on this trip had done so with the understanding that after a week or so the two would go to Garabandal. While Joeys friend was interested in these reported apparitions, Joey knew nothing of them and, besides he only wanted to stay at San Giovanni where he could be near Padre Pio. Joey persuaded his friend to put the matter before Padre Pio and accept whatever the Padre would say. Joey asked the question: Father is it true that the Virgin Mary is appearing to four girls in Spain? The answer was simply: Yes. But Joey still wanted an out, and so he asked: Father, should we go to Garabandal? The answer again was simply: Yes. And so with the assurance that these apparitions were of God, and following the instructions of Padre Pio, Joey Lomangino went to Garabandal. One would have to consider that day as a major turning point in Gods plan to reach men through the Garabandal event, for, through Joey, the message of Garabandal has spread to millions around the world; Our Ladys kissed objects, through which she promised Jesus would work prodigies, have been widely distributed: and untold numbers of people have been renewed in the grace and peace of God. EVERYTHING MUST LEAD TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT Between 1963 and Padre Pios death in 1968, Joey returned to San Giovanni three or four times each year. There is an interesting anecdote that made an important point to Joey. During his visits to the Rotondo in 1963, Padre Pio was very affectionate with Joey. When Joey would kneel with the others for a blessing, the Padre would always come up to him especially. He would hug him warmly, give his customary tap on the cheek, and then bless him. But, when Joey returned in 1964, there was none of this. Joey felt the Padre was ignoring him. He missed the special attention, and he thought to himself: Here I am; Ive been a daily Communicant for over a year; I spend many hours every day praying, listening to records on the lives of the saints, giving conferences. Before, when I was nowhere, he paid attention; now that Im doing the right thing he ignores me. It disturbed Joey enough to make him bring it up with Mary Pyle 1. This woman told Joey that a year ago he needed that attention, and now he did not, for he had found the Blessed Sacrament and thus knew the source of true consolation. She suggested that perhaps Padre Pio was testing him-to make him wonder and find out for himself just how far hed come. It made some sense to Joey, but the next day solidified it. As he knelt again among many others to await the blessing, the Padre this time came up to Joey, tapped his cheek and said, Now you understand, eh?

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And Joey has come to understand more and more. In the beginning, people need a lot of consolation, and God provides it- often through other people. But the more they pray, the more they are drawn to find all that they need in Mass and Communion and the presence of God in the Blessed Sacrament. Joey recalls that at first he used to arrive at the Rotondo at 3 a.m. to make sure he had a seat up front for Padre Pios 5 a.m. Mass. Then he would scramble to get to the hall outside the sacristy and be first on line for the Padres blessing after Mass. But after a while he began to realize that the greatness of the moment was not in Padre Pio but in the Body and Blood, present and sacrificed on the altar. These graces would reach him no matter where he was in the Church; so, too, would the Christ-given power of the priestly blessing reach him-no matter where he was on line. SEE, JOEY In 1969, after Padre Pios death, Joey went to Foggia and knelt before the Padres crypt to say the Rosary. He experienced a tremendous consolation, vivid in his mind even today, and yet difficult to describe. He felt the presence of Padre Pio, so real that it made Joey lift his hands in an attempt to touch him. At the same time that he felt this presence, Joey felt inside of him the knowing conviction that said, See, Joey, we Christians never die. It was a moment of inexplicable happiness for Joey, and he will never forget its impact on him. When Joey meditates on Padre Pio, the words of Our Lady of Garabandal come quickly to his mind: Pray much for priests that they be holy, for the faithful follow their example. Joey thinks of Padre Pios great power as a priest-a power that is at the disposal of all priests; he thinks of how much he helped people in the confessional, in his ministering of the sacraments, and by the example of his obedience to and reverence for the Holy Father. For himself, Joey remembers the inspiration provided him through Padre Pio, the inspiration that led him to put himself in the hands of God and thus to know, deep in his soul, that, having done that, God will take care of everything in and around him. And Joey thinks, too, of Padre Pios words to him: I will be at all your conferences, and I will bless the people.

1. Mary MacAlpine Pyle was born in 1888 into an extremely wealthy, Protestant family in New York. She became a convert to Catholicism in 1918. In 1923
she met Padre Pio. Shortly afterward, she turned over her vast fortune to the Capuchin Fathers and set up a modest dwelling near the monastery at Foggia, where she remained until her death in 1968. Padre Pio was her confessor and spiritual director, and he accepted her into the Profession of Third Order Franciscan with the name of Sister Pia. For 45 years, she assisted, along with other territories, in the clerical and liturgical needs of the monastery. Her home was always open to visitors, and her humble holiness and joyful peace touched all who met her.

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