St Anne’s Friary Celebrates St Padre Pio’s Centenary Year of Stigmata
Mangaluru: St Anne’s Friary celebrated the centenary year of Stigmata and the 50th death anniversary of St Padre Pio at the Friary premises here on September 23.
Prior to the mass Bishop of Mangalore diocese, Dr Peter Paul Saldanha was brought in a procession to the Premises. The Festal mass was celebrated by the Bishop Dr Peter Paul Saldanha along with other priests.
In his Homily Bishop Dr Peter Paul Saldanha said, “Once when Padre Pio was praying he experienced a vision of the wounded Christ and received the Stigmata. On September 20, 1918, while hearing confessions, Padre Pio had his first occurrence of the stigmata: bodily marks, pain, and bleeding in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ. This phenomenon continued for fifty years, until the end of his life. The blood flowing from the stigmata. Though Padre Pio said he would have preferred to suffer in secret, by early 1919, news about the stigmatic friar began to spread in the secular world. Padre Pio’s wounds are said to have been examined by many people, including physicians. Sometimes the wounds were visible and sometimes they were not visible but Padre Pio was suffering from pain. He was praying to God to heal his wounds as he was feeling shy. Many people were coming to him to see his wounds and Padre Pio was requesting God to heal the wounds from outside but at the same time he prayed that he was ready to bear the pain.”
Bishop Saldanha further said, “For fifty years Padre Pio suffered from the wounds. Many experts had examined him and experts from the Vatican were sent to check whether Padre Pio was fooling people with self-inflicted wounds on his body. The Vatican had forbidden Padre Pio from visiting people and offering mass from 1931 to 1933. He was best known for his piety, his quality of preaching, his ability to read souls, his role as a confessor, his devoutly-said Masses and his ability to bilocate. In 1960 his health deteriorated and he died on September 23, 1968.”
Bishop also said, “We need to admire Padre Pio for his Knowledge of the Cross, the significance of Eucharist and the benefits of Confession. Why good people suffer? Why do the innocent suffer? Those who are loved the most by God suffered a lot. So that by seeing a good man suffering, sinners will repent. When we suffer, we blame God but we forget to thank God for his graces. Padre Pio used to prepare for the mass two and half hours prior to it. Many priests do not prepare for the mass and the mass has no power. Padre Pio had very good knowledge of offering the mass. Whereas, we only think of which dress or ornaments we should wear while going for the mass and forgot to understand the meaning of the Eucharist. Many people without confession are receiving the communion which is an insult to God. We need to confess as often as we can and keep ourselves clean.”
Bishop Dr Peter Paul Saldanha was felicitated by Fr Paul Melwyn D’Souza and Fr Peter D’Souza with a flower bouquet and portrait of St Padre Pio. Later Bishop Dr Peter released the book “Kanoonanche Vaater”, authored by advocate Fr Joachim D’Souza and also the 17th CD of Fr Dolphy Devdas Serrao, “Gaytha Athmik Talo, Amar Jivith” on the occasion.
Fr Paul Melwyn D’Souza delivered the vote of thanks. Director of Padre Pio Shrine Fr Derick D’Souza compered the programme.