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Save the Date!

ST. PADRE PIO PRAYER GROUP NEWSLETTER

SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR: REV. FR. EDWARD JANOCH GROUP LEADER: CINDY RUSSO

Hail Mary! Full of Grace!

NOTABLE NOTES!

Thurs. June 5 Sat. June 7 Padre Pio Prayer Group Gathering. First Saturday of the Month at St.

Barnabas. 8:30 a.m

Each Thursday Blue Army Prayer Cell. St. Barnabas Church 7-8 p.m. &

Rosary each Sunday at 7:30 a.m

Holy Hour for Vocations sponsored

by the Knights of Columbus. 7 p.m. at St. Barnabas Church

May  is  the  month  we  honor  Mary  for  the  special  grace  and  privilege  that  was  given  to  her.    In  fact,  by  honoring  Mary  we  imitate  the  Lord  who  honored  her  by  becoming  flesh  in  her  womb.    Yes,  as  Jesus  literally  entrusted  himself  to  Mary,  we  too  can  entrust  ourselves  to  her  care  and  protection.  Mary  continues  to  ask  us  to  pray  the  rosary  daily.  A  suggested  reading  is  a  book  titled:  33  Days  to  Morning  Glory  by  Fr.  Michael  E.  Gaitley.    It  is  a  self-­‐retreat  that  leads  to  consecrate  yourself  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary.    

We  would  like  to  wish  the  a  Blessed  Happy  Mother’s  Day  to  all  Mothers  and  those  who  act  in  the  way  of  Motherhood!    We  celebrate  on  May  25th  Padre  Pio’s  Birthday!    He  quoted,  “Follow  Mary  and  She  will  lead  you  to  Jesus”.        The  Pilgrimage  to  Italy  is  filling  up!    If  you  are  thinking  of  going,  it  is  time  to  commit.    Contact  us  at  info@padrepiocleveland.org  and  we  will  call  you  back.      All  Womankind  Baby  Bottles  (filled  with  change!)  are  due  back  by  our  June  7th  meeting,  or  you  can  also  drop  off  at  the  St.  Barnabas  Rectory.    

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MAY 2014 SPRING

A WORD FROM OUR SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR

Alleluia!    Alleluia!    Alleluia!    He  has  Risen!    He  has  truly  Risen!    This  month   I  am  going  to  mention  short  “snippets”  of  spiritual   information  since  this  month  of  May   in  the  Year  of  Our  Lord  Two  Thousand  Fourteen  is  filled  with  many  spiritual  gems.    So  here  I  go.    The  month   of  May   is   traditionally   the  month   of  Mary,  Mother   of  God   and   our  mother,   yet  we   begin   the  month  remembering  her  spouse  under  the  title  of  St.  Joseph  the  Worker.    This  day,  May  1st  was  chosen   in  response  to  the  “May  Day”  celebrations  for  workers  sponsored  by  the  Communists.      Pope  Pius  XII  instituted  the  feast  of  St.  Joseph  the  Worker  in  1955.    The  relationship  between  Joseph  and  the  cause  of  workers  has  a  much  longer  tradition  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  going  back  for  centuries.    Mothers   Day   is   Sunday,   May   11th.     We   remember   our   mothers,   living   or   deceased,   during   this   month  dedicated  to  Mary.    The  tradition  was  that  one  wore  a  red  flower,  usually  a  carnation,  in  honor  of  a  mother  who  is  living.    A  white  flower  is  worn  if  one’s  mother  is  deceased.    Let  us  pray  for  all  mothers  and  honor  our  Mother,  Mary.    The  Diocese  of  Cleveland  for  the  last  26  years  has  celebrated  the  ordination  of  priests  for  the  diocese  during  the  month  of  May.    Six  men:    Deacon  Matthew  Joseph  Byrne  of  Holy  Family  Parish,  Stow;  Deacon  Gustavus  Max  Cyrus  Cole  of  St.  Helen  Parish,  Newbury;  Deacon  Christopher  Andrew  Cox  of   St.   Justin  Martyr  Parish,  Eastlake;  Deacon  Scott  David  Goodfellow  of  St.   Joseph  Parish,  Avon  Lake;  Deacon  Ryan  Joseph  Mann  of  St.  Mary   Parish,   Hudson;   and   Deacon   Timothy   Joseph   Roth   of   St.   Charles   Borromeo   Parish,   Parma   will   be  ordained  on  Saturday,  May  17th.    Pray  for  these  new  priests  and  for  more  servants  for  the  harvest.    The  celebration  of  birthdays  are  important  reminders  of  the  beginning  our  earthly  journey  and  when  joined  with  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism,  begins  our  spiritual  journey.    This  month,  on  May  25th  is  the  birthday  of  our  Spiritual   Father,   St.   Pio   of  Pietrelcina;  Padre   Pio.    A  Happy  Birthday   to   all   those   celebrating   birthdays   this  month.        In  many   parishes,   the   celebration   of   First   Communions   will   take   place   this   month.     Pray   for   all   who  will  receive   Jesus   the  Christ   in  His  Body  and  Blood   for   the  first   time.    May   these  children  never  be  denied   the  opportunity  to  continue  to  receive  Holy  Communion  in  a  worthily  fashion.    Now  I  must  mention  a  more  personal  matter.    On  Saturday,  26  April  2014  [which  happened  to  be  the  45th  Anniversary  of  my  First  Communion]  I  received  a  letter  from  Bishop  Richard  G.  Lennon  informing  me  of  my  new  assignment.    On  Tuesday,  10  June  2014  I  will  be  the  new  Parochial  Vicar  at  St.  Charles  Borromeo  Parish,  in  Parma.    I  will  be  joined  with  the  newly  ordained  Father  Ryan  Joseph  Mann.    We  will  be  joined  in  ministry  with  Fr.  John  Carlin,  the  Pastor  and  Fr.  Terrence  Grachanin,  Parochial  Vicar.    Yes,  there  are  four  priests  at  St.  Charles  Borromeo  Parish.    Pray  for  all  priests  who  will  be  transferred  to  new  parishes  in  the  Diocese.    Yours  in  the  Risen  Christ,    Rev.  Edward  J.  Janoch  

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MAY 2014 SPRING

ST. JOHN PAUL II – FEARLESS LEADER Our  church  recently  canonized  St.  John  Paul  who  was  the  key  person  in  bringing  down  communism  in  1989.    His  first  words  as  Pope  were:  “Be  not  afraid.”,  which  he,  himself  courageously  lived  out  day  by  day.    He  promoted  the  Divine  Mercy  Devotion  with  the  model—“Jesus,  I  trust  in  you”.    We  can  only  overcome  fear  by  trust.    Fear  is  a  very  lonely  feeling,  like  being  in  a  dark  cave  with  “wormy”  thoughts.    Trust  is  like  a  cozy  feeling  of  intimacy.    Fear  is  the  root  cause  of  all  the  negative  feelings  we  have,  because  we  are  afraid  of  the  loss  of  someone  or  something.    Advertising  capitalizes  on  this  too,  an  enormous  degree,  as  do  many  politicians.    The  formula  is  simple:    1)  You  may  not  have  enough  of  (fill  in  the  blank)….  2).    I,  or  my  product,  will  prevent  your  lack  of  (fill  in  the  blank).    3)  (Secretly)  I  will  make  you  desire  my  product.        

On  this  earth,  we  can  never  not  experience  loss.    Time,  space,  and  gravity  are  all  about  loss.    What  is  the  answer?    The  answer  is  not  getting,  preventing,  accumulating,  reassuring  ourselves.      The  answer  is  St.  John  Paul’s  concept  of    “self-­‐donation”—energy  of  love  going  out  of  ourselves  toward  God  and  others.    St.  John  Paul’s  motto  is  “Totus  Tuus”.    (Mary,  I  am  all  yours).    He  desired  what  Mary  desired  for  him,  and  nothing  else.      He  had  goals  he  wanted  to  achieve,  but  always  according  to  God’s  will  and  timing.      

What  frustrated  the  communists  occupying  Poland  was  that  John  Paul  was  not  afraid  of  them,  therefore,  he  always  had  clear  thinking  with  an  optimistic  outlook.    He  loved,  blessed,  and  prayed  for  them.      He  trusted  in  God  and  Mary  to  overthrow  them,  according  to  Gospel,  non-­‐violence.        

He  trusted  that  God  uses  the  worst  that  Satan  can  throw  at  us  to  defeat  Satan.    When  he  was  almost  assassinated,  Mary  changed  the  trajectory  of  the  bullet  miraculously  to  save  his  life  because  he  trusted  in  Her.    During  his  recuperation,  he  studied  Fatima  and  learned  of  the  importance  of  dedicating  Russia  to  the  Immaculate  Heart  of  Mary.    He  did  this  in  1982  and  communism  fell  in  1989.    By  his  lack  of  fear  and  trust  in  Mary,  She  used  the  assassination  attempt  to  defeat  Satan.    

Often  God  will  let  us  experience  situations  of  great  fear  and  trial  so  that  we  see  that  trust  is  the  only  way  to  break  through.  

Martin  Luther  King  Jr.,  with  threats  to  himself  and  his  family,  woke  up  one  day  at  2  a.m.  terrified.      

He  prayed  in  anguish  from  the  depths  of  his  heart  and  surrendered  his  life  to  God.    He  trusted.    Fear  no  longer  controlled  him.    He  became  a  hero  who  changed  the  course  of  our  nation’s  history.        St.  Maximillian  Kolbie  was  afraid  of  suffering  all  his  life.    In  the  concentration  camp,  he  faced  his  fears,  put  his  trust  in  Mary,  gave  his  life  for  his  fellow  prisoners  and  became  a  saint.    Our  world  endlessly  tells  us  that  happiness  consists  in  accumulating,  acquiring,  getting.    Jesus  tells  us  to  surrender,  let  go,  give  away,  risk,  trust.    One  of  the  greatest  graces  we  can  pray  for  is  the  grace  of  surrender  of  trust.    When  obtained,  we  won’t  fear  and  we  won’t  compulsively  desire.    We  will  accept.    Love  will  constantly  go  out  of  us  in  self-­‐donation,  and  God  will  infill    us  with  His  love  and  gifts  in  return.    We  will  feel  closer  to  others.    Endorphins  will  flow  through  our  bodies,  giving  us  energy,  which  is  why  St.  John  Paul  could  do  so  much  with  such  a  frail  body  in  his  later  years.    He  literally,  “lived  on  love”.          Here  are  some  suggestions.    We  can:  1)    Memorize  Padre  Pio’s  words,  “Fear  is  an  evil  worse  than  evil  itself”.  2)    Pray  the  Divine  Mercy  Chaplet  and  repeat  “Jesus  I  trust  in  you”  often  throughout  the  day.    3)    Pray  for  the  gift  of  surrender  and  trust.      4)    Embrace  situations  which  occasion  fear  as  opportunities  to  grow  and  trust.    5)    Notice  how  news  programs  can  cause  fear,  and  advertisements  try  to  create  desires  in  us.      6)    Examine  our  “stream  of  consciousness”  throughout  the  day  to  identify  fears  and  desires.    7)    Mention  our  fears  and  desires  to  our  confessor  8)  Pray  to  St.  John  Paul,  Mary,  and  Padre  Pio.        

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MAY 2014 SPRING

PADRE PIO AND OUR LADY OF FATIMA

Padre  Pio’s  love  for  and  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  is  legendary.  Indeed,  he  spent  much  of  his  ministry  extolling  Her  virtues  and  urging  all  Catholics  to  confidently  appeal  to  Her  merciful  intercession.  One  well-­‐known  writer  has  suggested  that  "behind  all  the  marvelous  gifts  of  Padre  Pio,  his  extraordinary  guidance  of  souls,  his  gift  of  bilocation  and  his  camaraderie  with  the  angels,  was  Our  Lady,  who  cherished  him  as  a  mother  would  a  child,  even  to  the  point  that,  after  he  had  been  beaten  by  the  devils  one  night  in  his  room,  She  came  and  put  a  cushion  under  his  head,  in  order  to  relieve  his  suffering."  

Padre  Pio  wrote  often  of  his  love  for  the  Mother  of  God,  reminding  us  to  "rest  your  ear  on  Her  maternal  heart  and  listen  to  Her  suggestions,  and  then  you  will  feel  all  the  best  desires  for  perfection  being  born  in  you."  He  considered  Our  Lady  to  be  the  great  harmonizing  and  directing  force  behind  the  Holy  Sacrament  of  Penance  and  said  that  "to  understand  and  to  make  the  sacrament  more  fruitful,  you  must  confide  yourself  to  the  inspirations  and  guidance  of  the  Blessed  Virgin."  

As  a  true  son  of  Our  Lady,  Padre  Pio  loved  the  Rosary  and  is  reputed  to  have                                                                                                                              said  a  15-­‐decade  Rosary  as  many  as  35  times  per  day.  In  many  photographs,                                                                                                                      he  is  shown  with  his  right  hand  hidden  within  the  pocket  where  he  always  kept  his                                                      Rosary  beads.  Indeed,  he  urged  all  Catholics  to  "love  the  Madonna  and  pray  the  Rosary,  for  the  Rosary  is  the  weapon  against  the  evils  of  the  world."  When  asked  about  the  role  of  Our  Lady  in  God’s  plan  for  salvation,  Padre  Pio  responded  by  saying  that  "all  graces  given  by  God  pass  through  the  Blessed  Mother."  It  was  with  that  understanding  that  he  almost  daily  offered  the  Mass  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  in  the  last  decade  of  his  life  on  earth.  He  is  quoted  as  saying  of  Our  Lady  that  She  "accompanies  me  to  the  altar  and  remains  at  my  side  while  I  offer  up  the  Holy  Mass."  

Padre  Pio  daily  expressed  his  special  devotion  to  Our  Lady  of  Fatima  as  he  knelt  and  prayed  at  Her  shrine  within  the  monastery,  before  a  large  picture  surrounded  by  burning  candles.  Indeed,  he  credited  the  Virgin  of  Fatima  with  saving  his  life.  In  1959,  the  Pilgrim  Statue  of  Our  Lady  of  Fatima  visited  Italy.  At  the  same  time  Padre  Pio  became  very  ill  and  was  diagnosed  with  a  fatal,  cancerous  tumor.  On  August  6,  the  statue  of  Our  Lady  arrived  in  San  Giovanni  Rotondo.  Rising  from  his  sick  bed,  Padre  Pio  prayed  before  the  statue  and  kissed  Her  feet.  As  the  statue  left  by  helicopter,  he  said:  "O  Mother  of  mine,  when  you  came  to  Italy,  you  found  me  with  this  sickness.  You  came  to  visit  me  here  in  San  Giovanni  and  found  me  still  suffering  from  it.  Now  you  are  leaving  and  I  am  not  delivered  from  my  illness!"  As  Padre  Pio  spoke  this  prayer,  a  miracle  occurred.  High  above  the  monastery,  the  helicopter  with  Our  Lady’s  statue  suddenly  circled  the  building  three  times.  The  pilot  would  later  say  that  he  could  not  explain  why.  At  the  same  time,  Padre  Pio  felt  a  shudder  immediately  run  through  him.  His  body  was  penetrated  by  a  flow  of  light  and  he  felt  the  tumor  burst.  He  cried  out,  "I  am  healed!  Our  Lady  has  healed  me!"  "Thank  the  Virgin  of  Fatima  for  me,"  he  subsequently  wrote.  "On  the  very  day  She  left  here,  I  felt  well  again.  I  have  been  back  to  celebrate  Mass  since  three  days  ago."  

Dear  St.  Padre  Pio  help  to  to  know  O  Most  Holy  Virgin  Mary,  Queen  of  the  Most  Holy  Rosary.    We  implore  you,  inspire  in  our  hearts  a  fervent  love  for  the  recitation  of  the  Rosary.  By  meditating  on  the  mysteries  of  the  redemption  that  are  recalled  there  in  may  we  obtain  the  graces  and  virtues  that  we  ask,  through  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord  and  Redeemer.  Amen  

S P R I N G MAY 2 0 1 4

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Prayers for Our Sick Brothers and Sisters

Abbot Christopher Schwartz O.S. B., Helen Husky, Walter Kowalski,

Carol Bertoni, Mary Dirda, Roger Reardon, Dan Peters, Joseph Russo Sr., Ron Firem,

Joan Tomassi, Nicole Tomassi, Mike Friess, Jerry Lewis, James Green, Helen Husky,

Joy Zivzak, Dennis Houlahan, Dan Houlahan, Gina Sacco,

Carmelita Pruchnicki, Robert Snyder, Richard Merecki, Luella Merecki, Ed Chesar,

Michael Orbany, Nicholas Anthony DiDonato, Jeff Bauer, Judy Selby, Rose Slee,

and we ask God to bless all of their caregivers.

Prayer to Padre Pio for Healing

Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, obedient father, you loved the sick and infirm more than yourself because in them you saw Jesus. In the name of God you performed miracles of healing in body, soul and mind. Your intercession with God healed the ills of past and present and strengthened people to respond with confidence to future challenges. Those who came to you regained a sense of spiritual integrity as you rekindled hope in their lives, and encouraged them to renew the spirit in their hearts.

Through the intercession of Our Heavenly Mother, may we experience your powerful assistance and be healed in our bodily and spiritual needs, particularly (name it) and gratefully give praise and thanks to God for all His blessings. Amen.

PRAY FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED SOULS Our  spiritual  sister    

ELIZABETH  A.  NAGORNEY      passed  away  April  9,  2014.    

Beloved  mother  of  Holly  Nagorney.    May  she  rest  in  peace.