REMINDERS:

DECEMBER  4  Knights  of  Columbus  

Holy  Hour  for  Vocations  7  p.m.  

St.  Barnabas  Church  Rosary  &  

Benediction  

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4

ST. PADRE PIO PRAYER GROUP NEWSLETTER

Spritual Director: Rev. Fr. Edward Janoch

Group Leader: Cindy Russo

DECEMBER  6  CHRISTMAS  BREAKFAST  Prayer  Gathering  and  

Blessing  of  the  Pregnant  Mothers  

8:30  Mass  at  St.  Barnabas,  Rosary,  Speaker,  Pot  Luck  Brunch  (bring  a  dish!)  

Taking  RSVP’s  for  the  Christmas  Pot  Luck  Brunch  that  will  be  held  at  the  next  Prayer  Group  Gathering,  Dec.  6th.    This  year  we  ask  that  everyone  pitch  in  and  bring  either  a  side,  dessert  or  appetizer.  

At  the  Dec.  6th  group  gathering,  we  will  have  the  blesng  of  the  “Unborn  Babies  in  the  Womb”  in  honor  of  Baby  Jesus’  birth.  We  invite  expectanct  family  members  and  friends  for  a  wonderful  blessing  of  Mother  and  Child.  

Please  take  time  and  pray  for  those  who  are  on  the  Italy  Pilgrimage  from  Oct.  27  –  Nov  7.    Your  petitions  will  be  prayed  for  and  left  at  the  Tomb  of  St.  Padre  Pio!      

The  month  of  November  is  remembered  for  the  Holy  Souls  in  Purgatory.  Let  us  pray  and  offer  sacrifices  for  the  them.    St.  Padre  Pio  would  encounter  the  holy  souls  throughout  his  life.  They  would  ask  him  to  offer  Mass  and  prayers  for  them.  Let  us  pray  that  we  continue  to  strive  for  true  holiness  each  and  every  day.    Let  us  also  remember  to  pray  for  our  deceased  members  of  our  prayer  group:  Diane  Zeurcher,  John  Danis,  Elizabeth  Nagrnet,  Peter  Blaszak,  Lydia  Baker  

St.  Padre  Pio  gave  thanks  to  our  Lord—for  everything—his  pain,  his  endurance,  his  joy,  his  love,  his  life.    With  Thanksgiving  approaching,  we  remember,  the  roots  of  our  gratefulness:    Our  Lord  and  Father  where  all  things  begin,  thank  you  dearest  Lord,  for  our  role  model    St.  Padre  Pio.    He  gave  you  thanks  and  praise  every  moment  of  his  life.    We  always  seem  in  prayer  to  be  asking  for  love,  guidance  and  favors-­‐-­‐  sometimes  we  forget  to  give  true  glory  and  thanksgiving  along  with  our  requests.    Let  us  imitate  St.  Padre  Pio  in  his  actions  and  words  -­‐-­‐  not  only  in  times  of  joy  and  happiness,  but  also  when  trials  come,  when  disappointments  overwhelm  us,  and  when  the  anxieties  of  life  overtake  us.  Thank  you  for  being  with  us  in  all  our  joy  and  sorrow,  for  your  comfort  in  our  sadness,  your  companionship  in  our  journey.    Thank  you  Father  for  the  gift  of  your  Son  and  all  the  sacrifices  and  suffering  Jesus endured  for  us.      Thank  you  for  the  Holy  Spirit,  for  His  guidance  and  wisdom.    Open  our  hearts  to  your  love.  We  thank  you  for  guiding  us  through  paths,  which  are  sometimes  overgrown  with  rocks  and  thorns.  Let  us  be  more  grateful  servants  to  your  banquet  table.  Help  us  recognize  the  distractions  that  keep  us  from  our  goal  to  love  you  more.  Let  our  souls  sing  praise  to  you  without  ceasing.    O  Lord  my  God,  forever  will  I  give  you  thanks.    Have  a  Blessed  Thanksgiving!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

DURING  NOVEMBER  Please  keep  in  your  daily  

prayers  this  month,  the  Holy  Souls  in  Purgetory.  Suggested  reading  is  the  book  “Praying  with  the  Saints  for  The  Holy  

Souls  in  Purgetory”    by  Susan  Tassone  

 

PRAYER FOR THE HOLY SOULS

We  most  humbly  beseech  You-­‐-­‐good,  eternal  and  merciful  Father-­‐-­‐forgive  the  Holy  Souls  and  lead  them  as  well  as  our  souls,  through  the  merits  of  Your  most  beloved  Son,  Our  Lord  

Jesus  Christ,  into  the  kingdom  of  Your  Holiness,  which  You  Yourself  are.  

Amen.  

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4

2

REFLECTIONS FROM OUR SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR Salve!     By   the   time   you   read   this   reflection   I   and   the   rest   of   the   Padre   Pio   Prayer   Group   Pilgrims   will   be   in   Italy   on   our  Pilgrimage.     Not   having   the   time   to  write   a   reflection,   I   found   this   article   about   Padre   Pio   and   the   Souls   in   Purgatory   and  thought  that  this  month,  Dr.  Taylor  Marshall  will  be  my  “guest  reflector”  this  month.    

Padre  Pio’s  Mysterious  Encounters  with  Souls  from  Purgatory      by  Dr.  Taylor  Marshall     God  chose  Saint  Pio  of  Pietrelcina  to   reveal   the  supernatural   life   to  our   tepid  era.  His   supernatural   interior   life  was  made  visible  through  his  immense  suffering  and  his  well-­‐known  stigmata.  As  we  move  into  November  and  pray  for  the  Poor  Souls  in  Purgatory,  we  do  well  to  recall  a  few  encounters  of  Padre  Pio  with  the  souls  of  Purgatory.     Padre   Pio   once   described   an   encounter   he   had  with   testified   the   following   to   the   Bishop   of  Melfi,   His   Excellency  Alberto  Costa  and  also  the  superior  of  the  friary,  Padre  Lorenzo  of  San  Marco.  Below  is  third  person  written  testimony  of  the  words  of  Padre  Pio:  

“While   in   the   friary  on  a  winter  afternoon  after  a  heavy   snowfall,  he  was   sitting  by   the   fireplace  one  evening   in   the  guest   room,   absorbed   in   prayer,   when   an   old   man,   wearing   an   old-­‐fashioned   cloak   still   worn   by   southern   Italian  peasants  at  the  time,  sat  down  beside  him.  Concerning  this  man  Padre  Pio  states:   ‘I  could  not   imagine  how  he  could  have  entered  the  friary  at  this  time  of  night  since  all  the  doors  are  locked.  I  questioned  him:  ‘Who  are  you?  What  do  you  want?’  The  old  man  told  him,  “Padre  Pio,  I  am  Pietro  Di  Mauro,  son  of  Nicola,  nicknamed  Precoco.”  He  went  on  to  say,  “I  died  in  this   friary  on  the  18th  of  September,  1908,   in  cell  number  four,  when   it  was  still  a  poorhouse.  One  night,  while   in  bed,   I   fell   asleep   with   a   lighted   cigar,   which   ignited   the   mattress   and   I   died,   suffocated   and   burned.   I   am   still   in  Purgatory.  I  need  a  holy  Mass  in  order  to  be  freed.  God  permitted  that  I  come  and  ask  you  for  help.”    

  According  to  Padre  Pio:  “After  listening  to  him,  I  replied,  ‘Rest  assured  that  tomorrow  I  will  celebrate  Mass  for  your  liberation.’  I  arose  and  accompanied  him  to  the  door  of  the  friary,  so  that  he  could  leave.  I  did  not  realize  at  that  moment  that  the  door  was  closed  and  locked:  I  opened  it  and  bade  him  farewell  the  moon  lit  up  the  square,  covered  with  snow.  When  I  no  longer  saw  him  in  front  of  me,  I  was  taken  by  a  sense  of  fear,  and  I  closed  the  door,  reentered  the  guest  room,  and  felt  faint.”     A  few  days  later,  Padre  Pio  also  told  the  story  to  Padre  Paolino,  and  the  two  decided  to  go  to  the  town  hall,  where  they  looked  at  the  vital  statistics  for  the  year  I908  and  found  that  on  September  18  of  that  year,  one  Pietro  Di  Mauro  had  in  fact  died  of  burns  and  asphyxiation  in  Room  Number  4  at  the  friary,  then  used  as  a  home  for  the  homeless.       Around  the  same  time,  Padre  Pio  told  Fra  Alberto  of  another  apparition  of  a  soul  from  Purgatory  which  also  occurred  around  the  same  time.  He  said:    One  evening,  when  I  was  absorbed  in  prayer  in  the  choir  of  the  little  church  I  was  shaken  and  disturbed  by   the   sound  of   footsteps,  and  candles  and   flower  vases  being  moved  on   the  main  altar.  Thinking   that   someone  must  be  there,  I  called  out,  “Who  is  it?”       No   one   answered.   Returning   to   prayer,   I   was   again   disturbed   by   the   same   noises.   In   fact,   this   time   I   had   the  impression  that  one  of  the  candles,  which  was  in  front  of  the  statue  of  Our  Lady  of  Grace,  had  fallen.  Wanting  to  see  what  was  happening  on  the  altar,  I  stood  up,  went  close  to  the  grate  and  saw,  in  the  shadow  of  the  light  of  the  Tabernacle  lamp,  a  young  confrere  doing  some  cleaning.  I  yelled  out,  “What  are  you  doing  in  the  dark?”  The  little  friar  answered,  “I  am  cleaning.”       “You  clean  in  the  dark?”  I  asked.  “Who  are  you?”       The  little  friar  said,  ‘I  am  a  Capuchin  novice,  who  spends  his  time  of  Purgatory  here.  I  am  in  need  of  prayers.’  and  then  he  disappeared,”    Padre  Pio  stated  that  he  immediately  began  praying  for  him  as  requested,  and  it  is  not  known  if  he  had  any  further  dealings  with  this  particular  soul.  However,  in  regards  souls  in  Purgatory  it  is  very  interesting  to  note  that  later  in  life  Padre  Pio  once  said  that  ‘As  many  souls  of  the  dead  come  up  this  road  to  the  monastery  as  that  of  the  souls  of  the  living.”       Without  a  doubt,  many  souls  from  Purgatory  visited  Padre  Pio  seeking  his  prayers,  sacrifices  and  sufferings  to  obtain  their  release.    Pray  for  the  Poor  Souls  daily.    Taylor  Marshall  PhD  is  a  former  Episcopalian  priest  and  the  President  of  the  New  Saint  Thomas  Institute,  an  initiative  offering  theology  classes  to  over  1,100  students  in  24  nations.  He  is  the  author  of  The  Crucified  Rabbi,  The  Catholic  Perspective  on  Paul,  The  Eternal  City,  Thomas  Aquinas  in  50  Pages,  and  Saint  Augustine  in  50  Pages.  He   appears   regularly   on   Catholic   Answers,   EWTN,   and   Relevant   Radio.   He   has   a   highly   rated   podcast   “The   Taylor   Marshall   Catholic   Show”   and   blogs   at  taylormarshall.com  where  he  has  98,702  followers.  He  and  his  wife  Joy  have  seven  children  (four  boys  and  three  girls)  and  make  their  home  in  Dallas.    A  presto,      Father  Edward  J.  Janoch  

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4

3

PURGETORY—GOD’S GIFT TO SINNERS A  man  had  a  bad  temper.  For  years,  he  didn’t  care  about  improving  it.  Finally  he  made  an  act  of  the  will  and  decided  to  correct  it.  After  10  years  of  daily  rosaries,  he  was  free.  He  used  God’s  help  and  his  will  to  change.  Had  he  not  done  this  on  earth,  it  seems  that  he  would  have  had  to  do  it  in  purgatory.  Thankfully,  our  sins  can  be  forgiven  on  earth,  but  to  enter  heaven,  even  our  tendencies  or  inclinations  to  sin  must  be  purified.  Heaven  is  pure  love  and  peace.  Anything  connected  to  sin  must  be  purified.  Heaven  is  pure  love  and  peace.  Anything  connected  to  sin  is  not  allowed  such  as  resentments,  grudges,  racism,  arrogance,  addictions,  ect.    Some  scriptural  references  for  purgatory  are:  1  Corinthians  3:15  “If  a  man’s  building  burns,  he  will  suffer  a  loss.  He  himself  will  be  saved,  but  only  as  one  fleeing  through  fire;”  2  Maccabees  12:38-­‐4  ”Judas  made  atonement  for  the  dead  that  they  might  be  freed  from  their  sins.”    Unfortunately,  a  result  of  the  Protestant  Reformation  has  been  their  denial  of  Purgatory.  They  don’t  consider  Maccabees  which  is  the  foremost  scriptural  reference  for  purgatory  to  be  part  of  the  Bible.  Purgatory  has  been  from  the  beginning  part  of  tradition  of  the  Church.  It  was  formally  defined  as  Infallible  Doctrine  by  the  Councils  of  Florence  in  1439  (before  the  Protestant  Reformation),  and  Trent  in  1563.  The  Catechism  of  the  Catholic  Church  treats  Purgatory  in  sections  1030-­‐1032.  It  quotes  St.  Gregory  the  Great-­‐“As  for  the  faults  lesser  than  blasphemy  which  is  unforgivable,  we  must  believe  that,  before  the  final  judgment,  there  is  a  purified  fire.  Certain  sins  can  be  forgiven  in  this  age,  but  certain  others  in  the  age  to  come.”    In  the  confusion  after  Vatican  II,  some  Catholics  unfortunately  no  longer  believe  in  Purgatory.  In  recent  times,  the  theory  of  Limbo  has  been  clarified.  Limbo  is  not  a  defined  Doctrine,  It  is  a  theory  which  holds  that  infants  and  all  unbaptized  people  cannot  go  to  heaven  because  of  the  words  of  Jesus,”  unless  you  are  baptized,  you  shall  not  enter  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.”  This  is  a  very  literal  interpretation,  which  we  are  not  bound  to  believe.  Limbo  is  considered  a  place  of  natural  happiness  but  without  the  vision  of  God  in  Heaven.  It  is  said  that  there  were  more  souls  in  Purgatory  present  at  Padre  Pio’s  masses  than  people  in  the  congregation!  He  freed  many  souls  by  his  prayers  and  penance.  Many  Saints  had  visions  of  Purgatory  and  recoiled  in  fright.    God  does  not  want  us  to  go  to  Purgatory,  but  wants  us  to  be  diligent  in  overcoming  our  faults,  so  that  we  can  go  directly  to  Heaven.  He  even  grants  indulgences  through  the  church  to  lessen  our  time  in  Purgatory.  Our  modern  age  is  very  lax  spiritually  and  seems  too  presumptive  of  God’s  mercy.  But  there  will  be  a  reckoning,  just  as  when  people  accumulate  credit  card  debt.  Eventually  debts  must  be  paid.  “The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  Wisdom.”  Ideally,  love  for  God  should  motivate  us  to  avoid  sin,  but  fear  of  punishment  may  be  necessary  as  a  starting  point.    The  Church  has  the  long-­‐standing  tradition  of  having  masses  celebrated  for  the  faithful  departed,  which  unfortunately  has  fallen  off  in  recent  times.  It  would  be  good  for  us  to  revive  it  when  a  loved  one  has  died.  November  is  the  month  dedicated  to  pray  for  the  Poor  Souls  in  Purgatory.  November  2nd  is  the  day  set-­‐aside  especially  for  the  Poor  Souls.  They  are  remembered  in  the  Eucharistic  Prayer  after  the  Consecration.    Purgatory  is  a  gift.  Through  it,  we  can  leave  all  our  sins  and  attachment  to  sin  behind,  so  that  we  can  be  totally  at  peace  in  mind,  soul  and  body  with  God  for  all  Eternity.  But  God  would  rather  have  us  make  use  of  the  graces  He  gives  as  gifts  every  day,  so  that  we  can  go  directly  to  Heaven.    PADRE  PIO  HELPS  US!  

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4

4

November: Saints, Souls, Thanksgiving November is the month of Saints, Souls and Thanksgiving. We are all called to be Saints; we are all called to holiness. The Saints give us examples to be obedient to God, and yet they were just like us. They all had suffering, trials, sinfulness, sadness, and yet they had a true love of God. And because of that, no two Saints are alike. St. Padre Pio, for example, suffered every day of his life. Christians believe “there is one God. There is one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, Himself human, who gave Himself as ransom for all.” (1 Tim,2 5-6) Between Jesus and us however, there can be and are a host of intercessors, beginning with the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saints who pray to the Father. Why do we pray to Mary and the Saints? When Mary and the Saints pray for us, their intercession always follows the same path. It is “That which goes to the Father through Christ the Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit”. Mary and the Saints unite their own prayer to our request to them. Our prayers are contained with theirs. They present them to Christ at His Fathers right hand.

St. Padre Pio said there are more souls from purgatory at his Mass than humans. When we think of Purgatory, we think of the suffering without considering the peace and happiness that are there to be enjoyed by the Holy Souls. The souls are in continual union with God. They willingly and lovingly purify themselves, because such is divine pleasure. They cannot sin. They love God more than they love themselves. They love Him with a perfect pure love. Angels console them. When we see people suffering on earth, we always feel sorry for them. We would probably do anything we could do to help them. The suffering of the souls in purgatory are much greater. The souls suffer in an incredible way. If you could see them for one moment, our hearts would burst into pity. Remember them in your daily prayers. Remember our deceased loved ones, priests, sisters and friends. Pray for everyone, even the people we do not know. The pour souls are incapable of helping themselves. Then perhaps one day the souls you have prayed for will intercede and pray for you when they reach heaven. There are many ways in which we can offer ourselves for the release of souls in Purgatory: giving to the poor, fasting, sacrificing, prayer and offering Masses & Rosaries.

This Prayer was given to St. Gertrude and Jesus promised that every time it was said, 1,000 souls would be released from Purgatory and allowed in God’s Presence. If this prayer is said 50-100 times a day by just 10 people, 1,000,000 souls will be released! This prayer is a promise from Jesus. A word from God! And God always keeps his promise. Pray it with belief in His Word, and with gratitude and love, and you will be granting Eternal Happiness to many, many, many grateful souls.

"ETERNAL FATHER, I OFFER THEE THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF THY DIVINE SON, JESUS, IN UNION WITH THE MASSES SAID THROUGHOUT THE WORLD TODAY, FOR ALL THE HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY, FOR SINNERS EVRYWHERE, FOR SINNERS IN THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH , THOSE IN MY OWN HOME AND WITHIN MY FAMILY. AMEN.”

HEALING PRAYER Beloved Padre Pio, today I come to add my prayer to the thousands of prayers offered to you every day by those who love and venerate you. They ask for cures and healings, earthly and spiritual blessings, and peace for body and mind. And because of your friendship with the

Lord, he heals those you ask to be healed, and forgives those you forgive. Through your visible wounds of the Cross, which you bore for 50 years, you were chosen in

our time to glorify the crucified Jesus. Because the Cross has been replaced by other symbols, please help us to bring it back in our midst, for we acknowledge

it is the only true sign of salvation. As we lovingly recall the wounds that pierced your hands, feet and side, we not only remember the blood you shed in pain, but your smile, and the invisible halo of sweet

smelling flowers that surrounded your presence, the perfume of sanctity. Padre Pio, may the healings of the sick become the testimony that the Lord has invited you to join the holy company of Saints. In your kindness, please help me with my own special

request: (mention here your petition, and make the sign of the Cross). Bless me and my loved ones. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Abbot  Christopher  Schwartz  O.S.  B.,  Jeane  Zerwin-­‐Butler,  Kathy  Conti,  Terri  Feltz,  Aurora  Cruz,  Joann  Kowalski,  Rita  Shea,    

Eleanor  Phillips,  Helen  Herman,  Don  and  Jane  Dahlhausen,  Hector  Escobar,  Samuel  Lawson,  Delores  DiLeone,  Devin  Harvey,  Karina  de  Ortiz,  

Ofelia  Melgoza,  Spencer  Dray,  Steve  Olexa,  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,  Jeff  Bauer,  Judy  Selby,  

Rose  Slee,    And  we  ask  God  to  bless  all  of  their  Caregivers.  

Diane  Zuercher,  John  Danis,  Elizabeth  Nagrnet,    Peter  Blaszak,  Lydia  Baker,  Jackie  Zupka,  Michael  Orbany  

I

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4

WEBSITE: WWW.PADREPIOCLEVELAND.ORG CONTACT US: INFO@PADREPIOCLEVELAND.COM FACEBOOK: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/PADREPIOCLEVELAND TWITTER: @PADREPIOCLEVEOH