Remembering Padre Pio Today

I am always touched watching the flickering candles at the Padre Pio Chapel in Libis. The symbolism of having pure light, penetrating darkness and illuminating one’s path is so uplifting.

St. Padre Pio is one of my favorite saints. I believe he was instrumental in healing me when I was sick eleven years ago. I have always experienced kneeling down with that blank paper in my hands and didn’t know what to write in my petitions but once my pen glides on the paper, it is a spontaneous flow of thanksgiving and asking for special intentions. I am always in awe every time I read those testimonials of people he has touched through their prayers.

HAPPY FEAST DAY PADRE PIO. I am sad I could not visit you today.

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Happy Feast Day St. Padre Pio

Today is the Feast Day of one of my favorite saints, St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. I am excited to visit him once more.  Josef and I will attend the 12:15pm mass today at St. Padre Pio Chapel.

“You must speak to Jesus not only with your lips but with your heart; in fact on certain occasions you should speak to Him only with your heart… One searches for God in books. One finds Him in meditation.”

 

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It’s Holy Monday (More Pictures of Padre Pio Pio Chapel In Libis)

Woke up at an ungodly hour of 3:30am. Son has to leave the house at 5:00am so for three days each week, it’s a struggle to open my eyes and try to ignore the alarms from my two cellphones on my night table.  This morning, I felt as though I haven’t slept  for over six hours so I went back to bed and woke up at 7:30am. So much for dreaming of catching at least 3 more hours of rest.

Our two dogs are at the door waiting for breakfast and my plants are waiting  for that much-needed morning shower.  It is definitely summer here and it’s hot. The previous week has been  a busy one  so far  and it’s now Holy Monday. Holy  Week began yesterday with the blessing  of the palms. I was at the church early because yesterday, one of our new junior admins  at our Catholic page visited me. Ninia and I had a good laugh exchanging news and some tidbits of her life in Hongkong away from her family.  Sharing with friends is such a joy, never mind that  sometimes, the topic is  serious  and painful enough and the tears fall, unheeded. Doing an online apostolate is definitely fulfilling. As  you journey through, you also grow in faith and yes,  in your own little way, you get to inspire others. We will be celebrating our fourth year of being online this coming Friday.  When I think  of the times when we were just making our presence felt with a little more than a thousand members, I am grateful that so many people from all walks of life found our page. We now have almost 66,000 members who visit the page each day and share our posts.

I would love to go back to St. Padre Pio Chapel  this Holy Week, they have several things lined up for the celebration. My only problem is I am afraid to mingle with a big crowd because I have to wear face mask  and I can’t stay under the heat of the sun for long. We are planning to have Visita Iglesia on Holy Thursday maybe in some churches in Manila if we have the time.

This is the facade of Saint Padre Pio Chapel in Libis, QC. It’s visited by thousands of Padre Pio devotees from all walks of life.

The prayer room of St. Francis of Assisi.

I am always touched watching the flickering candles at the chapel. The symbolism of having pure light, penetrating darkness and illuminating one’s path is so uplifting.

Some people say that the facade of the chapel is an exact replica of the  Shrine of Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. Last week I watched a feature on Mang Ramon Rodriguez, founder and president of  the Philippine Center for St. Pio of Pietrelcina, Inc.  He is a devotee of Saint Padre Pio and was cured of partial blindness years ago . It’s the reason why he put up a small chapel which is now a house of prayer visited by thousands of pilgrims all year-long.

Church of Santa Maria della Grazie, containing Padre Pio’s tomb and cell. (Photo credit: sacred-destinations.com)

Have a blessed Holy Week!

 

 

 

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Saint Padre Pio Chapel

Always humble yourself lovingly before God and man, because God speaks to those who are truly humble of heart, and enriches them with His gifts. – St. Padre Pio

There are places where we really feel at home, places where you long to be closer to the Lord and experience that inner tranquil peace that one normally does not  experience in such a noisy world such as ours.  The very first time I visited St. Padre Pio Chapel in Libis, Quezon City, I was struck by the lovely interior of the place and the prayer room was such that when I began writing my prayer petitions, thoughts came freely, unhampered by the movements of other people who kneeled side by side with me writing their own prayers and thoughts on paper.  I’ve longed to visit the place since a former classmate suggested it when I had my chemotherapy more than two years ago. Come to think of it, it’s a walking distance from Eastwood City and just about a few minutes ride from our place but I never knew it existed.  Since that first visit, I always planned of attending masses there.  It’s full during Sundays and parking is nil unless you come one hour early before the scheduled mass. Proper dress code is strictly implemented – no shorts, no sleeveless dresses, no plunging necklines which I think is just right. People from all walks of life come to this place for a visit.

The facade was patterned after the Church of Our Lady of Grace in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy where St. Padre Pio spent most of his remaining years until his death.  I remember taking these shots during Padre Pio’s Feast Day last September 23, 2011 when I attended mass there.

This is the main altar of the Chapel where a life-size  image of St. Padre Pio is venerated by the faithful.

 

The Prayer Room

Lighting candles is always one of the highlights of my visit here.

The place is adjacent to the high-rise buildings of Eastwood City.

 

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Happy Feast Day St. Padre Pio

Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You.
You know how easily I abandon You.
Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.

These lines are part of Padre Pio’s Prayer After Communion. It’s his Feast Day today and I attended the Holy Mass at the Philippine Center for St. Pio of  Pietrelcina in Libis, Quezon City.  I had to take a commute since hubby was not around. It was a very solemn celebration which was presided by Bishop Martirez from the Diocese of Antique. I lighted candles before proceeding to the prayer room after the mass then bought some stampita (prayer cards)  to give to friends.  Since last night, almost all of my posts were about Padre Pio, he is one saint that I truly admire.  Even our AFCC Tambayan page were full of stories about Padre Pio when I posted a quote there early this morning. And instead of reading the usual jokes which everyone enjoys, it seems that remembering the Feast Day of Padre Pio, we were all again united in prayer and deep faith.  It is so humbling to feel God’s loving embrace today, through Padre Pio’s intercession.

PRAYER

O God,

You gave St. Pio of Pietrelcina,

Capuchin priest,

the great privilege of participating

in a unique way in the passion

of Your Son,

grant me through his intercession

the grace of …..which I ardently desire;

And above all grant me the grace of

living in conformity

with the death of Jesus,

to arrive at the glory

of the resurrection.

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Longer Nights Begin Tomorrow

Great! According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration (PAGASA), tomorrow is the start of the autumnal equinox which is the beginning of shorter days and  longer nights in the northern hemisphere which includes the Philippines.  I am thinking of the colder nights which signal the long celebration of the Christmas season here in the Philippines. In fact, some stores have already put up their Christmas decorations and you could hear Christmas songs being played on the radio. And longer nights also mean more time to read and watch late night movies on TV.

Last night, Nissa and I watched the first episode of The Pillars of the Earth which was aired for two hours on Star Movies. It’s an eight part mini series adapted from the bestselling novel of the same title by Ken Follett. I can’t wait to see the succeeding episodes.  Based on what I’ve seen last night, the series is a good adaptation of the more than a thousand pages book of Follett.  Rufus Sewell as Tom Builder and Matthew Macfadyen as Prior Philip are two of my favorite characters in the series.  Nissa said it’s kind of “bitin” since she hasn’t read the book yet. I told her, once she starts reading the book, it would be hard to put it down.  There is a sequel to the book called World Without End. Nissa bought me a copy but I haven’t read it yet. The story happens 200 years later in the same fictitious town , Kingsbridge.

Don’t forget, tomorrow is St. Padre Pio’s feast day. Last November, a friend from Rome gave me a third class relic of Padre Pio from the Capuchin Friary in Rotondo, Italy.

“May Mary convert the troubles of your life into joy” – St. Padre Pio of  Pietrelcina

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Pray, Hope, Don’t Worry

Today is the feast day of Saint Padre Pio  of Pietrelcina.  Hubby and I attended the 5pm mass at St. Pio Chapel in Libis, Quezon City.  The mass was presided by Fr. Ignacio from San Carlos Seminary.  We visited the prayer room after the mass and lighted candles for our intentions.  If I could I would like to hear mass here every Sunday, the service is always very solemn.

Here’s one of the most popular prayers by Padre Pio which  the officiating priest also shared in his homily:

Stay with me, Lord Prayer of St. Pio of Pietrelcina after Holy Communion

Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You. Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often. Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor. Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light, and without You, I am in darkness. Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will. Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You. Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your company. Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You. Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is, I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of love. Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close, and life passes; death, judgment, eternity approaches. It is necessary to renew my strength, so that I will not stop along the way and for that, I need You. It is getting late and death approaches, I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows. O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile! Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all it’s dangers. I need You. Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of the bread, so that the Eucharistic Communion be the Light which disperses the darkness, the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart. Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to You, if not by communion, at least by grace and love. Stay with me, Jesus, I do not ask for divine consolation, because I do not merit it, but the gift of Your Presence, oh yes, I ask this of You! Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for, Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit, because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more. With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity.    Amen source: http://padrepiodevotions.org/pioprayers

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