Padre Pio was one of the Blessed Mother’s greatest advocates and tenderest admirers. One rarely found the saint without a rosary in his hand as he worked to fulfill the Blessed Mother’s plea to save souls from hell. He especially loved her Immaculate Heart.
You can imagine his excitement and joy when Fatima’s statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary began its tour of Italy in 1959. The statue was set to arrive in his diocese in August, where a magnificent procession and solemn Mass awaited it in Foggia’s cathedral.
Padre Pio (photo credit: Jornal O Bom Católico/CC BY 2.0)
Suddenly Padre Pio fell ill. From May onward, he suffered no alleviation of his illness. He knew he could not travel to Foggia to venerate the statue, and he was grieved.
Then his bishop called him and said he’d arranged for the statue to visit San Giovanni Rotundo, Pio’s own monastery, instead of the cathedral.
Padre Pio immediately prepared for the Blessed Mother’s visit with a public novena. Every day, he led the faithful gathered in San Giovanni’s church—but he was still so ill that he used a loud speaker and prayed the novena from his bed.
At last the statue arrived. Padre Pio forced himself—weak as he was—to get up and go to it in the church, where he kissed it and hung a golden rosary on its hands.
Later, Padre Pio watched the statue’s departure through his bedroom window. He wept and said to the Immaculate Heart, “My Lady, my Mother, you came to Italy and I got sick, now you are going away and you leave me still ill.”
After he spoke, a force shook his body and he found himself cured of his illness—in fact, he’d never felt so well or so strong before!
Join Padre Pio in his profound devotion to the Immaculate Heart by giving this Heart a prized place in your home. Our Immaculate Heart Framed Wall Plaque features a beautiful image of Our Lady and her Immaculate Heart, with an elegant frame and stunning gold details. Perfect for a prayer space or any place you can see it often. Available today at The Catholic Company!
