Pilgrimage to Padre Pio's Shrine

I celebrated the 11th Anniversary of my ordination to the Priesthood last December 5 (Friday) by going on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy together with fellow Tomasino Priests- Fr. Glenn Ruiz (my classmate) and Fr. Oscar Cadayona. Joining us were our former professor in UST, Fr. Vicente Cajilig, OP with his brother and sister-in-law who was cured of cancer by Padre Pio. She related to us the story of how Padre Pio appeared to her five years ago, telling her that she will be cured while she doesn’t even know who he was. It is only when she saw the picture of Padre Pio that she was able to identify the priest who appeared to her.
I am glad to have been able to celebrate my anniversary mass at the shrine of Padre Pio this time as his remains will be re-interred into the tomb on September next year. I remember watching the life of Padre Pio on tv when I was a little boy and my father explained to me about his stigmata. He was not yet a saint at that time as he was canonized only in 2002.


PRAYER OF PADRE PIO

Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You.

Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light, and without You, I am in darkness.

Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.

Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.

Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your company.

Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.

Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is, I wish it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of Love.

Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close, and life passes, death, judgement, eternity approaches. It is necessary to renew my strength, so that I will not stop along the way and for that, I need You. It is getting late and death approaches. I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows. O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile!

Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all its dangers, I need You.

Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of bread, so that the Eucharistic Communion be the light which disperses the darkness, the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart.

Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to You, if not by Communion, at least by grace and love.

Stay with me, Jesus, I do not ask for divine consolation, because I do not merit it, but, the gift of Your Presence, oh yes, I ask this of You!

Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for. Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit, because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more.

With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity.

Amen