# 21 OF 25 - THIS HAPPY BOOK REPORT ON PADRE PIO!

# 21 OF 25 THIS HAPPY BOOK REPORT ON PADRE PIO!

IN PURSUIT OF THE TRUTH - HTTP://WWW.CINOPSBEGONEBLOGSPOT.COM -  THURS. JAN. 24, 2019

"PADRE PIO - THE TRUE STORY" BY C. BERNARD RUFFIN

CHAPTER 7 OF 34 - THE DOUBLE EXILE. 95-96

"There were clearly some family problems. In later years Padre Pio confided to a niece, "I had to go to Pietrelcina to straighten out things out at home." Just what needed to be straightened out is not clear...

During his "exile" in Pietrelcina, Padre Pio celebrated Mass nearly everyday, often in rural churches that were part of the parish. He also taught school. One of his students,Celestino Orlando, recalled in his seventies ho diligently Padre Pio worked to help him - a slow student - learn mathematics. Once, as a reward for mastering a particularly hard problem, Pio invited the boy to his home to enjoy a dinner of fried fish. He remembered Pio as a strict disciplinarian who always prayed before he taught. If two boys got to fighting and swore, he would not hesitate to take off one of his sandals and swath them to do it..

Pio also organized adult education classes and held school in the fields, successfully teaching farmers and laborers to read and write. More over, he got together a choir of fifteen boys and taught them how to sing various hymns. He led them without accompaniment, singing along with them in his robust, fervent, but unmusical baritone voice." ...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Charles Medicina*

    "When Charles Medina looked back on his life, he said that it was the Rosary that was initially instrumental in leading him to Padre Pio.... He became Padre Pio's Italian-English translator, interpreting for many English-speaking pilgrims who came to see Padre Pio. Living inside the monastery, Charles worked at Padre Pio' side each day. He also assisted as one of his correspondence secretaries....

   
 One time Mary Pyle mentioned to Charles that Padre Pio walked at an angle, as if under the weight of a heavy cross. Charles had noticed it as well. He walked as if supporting a great weight. It was the walk of Cyrenean, carrying the cross of Christ. I was after the Mass that Charles noticed his angular walk more than any other time...

   
 Once after hearing Charles' confession, Padre Pio told him to make a pilgrimage to Monte Saint' Angelo and visit the shrine of St. Michael the Archangel. Padre Pio had experienced St. Michael's protection on many occasions in his life and prayed to him daily. Each year, Padre Pio made a preparation of forty days for St. Michael's feast day, "Consecrate yourself to St. Michael and to the angels," Padre Pio told Charles, "You will need the help of St. Michael, living in this world.

   
 Charles noticed ... that he (Padre Pio)  always kept his left hand hidden inside of his habit, Charles often wondered the reason and one day discovered it. Padre Pio had a hook  sewn inside his habit to which his rosary was attached....

   
 Padre Pio often told jokes to Charles and the others who assisted him.... Charles described Padre Pio as a simple man, a humble man, whose life revolved around the Blessed Sacrament and the Rosary... At times, Padre Pio's face was observed to be glowing during the Mass. On occasion, Charles saw a halo of light surrounding Padre Pio's head. He also saw the wounds in Padre Pio's hands bleeding during the Holy Sacrifice. "Padre Pio lived the Mass . He lived the crucifixion," Charles said. At the conclusion of the Mass, Charles would take Padre Pio's arm and take him down from the altar. Holding his arm, Charles can sense the suffering that was present in his body...

  
  "I will guide you," Padre Pio said simply. Padre Pio asked Charles to establish the prayer groups in the Los Angeles area where (Charles) resided, and in 1966, the first Padre Pio prayer group formed there...

* "Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry," True Stories of Padre Pio, Book I - By Diane Allen, p. 96-100.

George H. Kubeck