My mother suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. I had been taking her to an Alzheimer’s day care center but recently I was told that my mother could no longer return. Her dementia was so severe that the administrator recommended that she be placed in a secured Alzheimer’s facility in a nursing home.

I looked and looked but could not find a facility that would fit my mother’s needs. I became very worried. Then I prayed to Padre Pio and asked him to help me find something suitable. Right after that prayer I had a dream in which a saw a number of Catholic women caring for my mother. They all had dark hair but I could not see their faces clearly. In my dream, I took my mother’s hand and we walked outside. We were in a heavenly place. The sky was a midnight blue, the most beautiful blue I had ever seen. It had a velvet-like quality and I would call it a “living sky” because it was pulsating with life. A huge round moon, like a glowing iridescent pearl was reflecting in the clear waters of a lake that we were standing in front of. A forest of emerald colored trees surrounded the lake. A waterfall cut through the trees, causing their leaves to shimmer and sparkle like diamonds. Every leaf was alive and shimmering. The intensity of the colors was such that the most beautiful place on earth would look like a wasteland in comparison. The beauty of what I was beholding almost took my breath away and I could not take my eyes from the sight. Then I woke up.

Right after that, I went to visit another nursing home. When the administrator greeted me, I noticed that she was wearing a crucifix for a necklace. As she took me on a tour of the facility she mentioned to me that she was a Catholic. We passed by a large room where many of the residents were gathered. They were singing. They all looked happy and I also noticed that the staff was very friendly. This care home was not depressing like the others I had seen but was actually uplifting. The administrator explained to me that the Alzheimer’s unit had no openings. There were 275 residents in the skilled nursing section and 50 in the Alzheimer’s section and there was always a waiting list of people in the skilled nursing area waiting to move over to the Alzheimer’s unit. They always had preference over anyone coming in from the outside.

She took me to the Alzheimer’s unit and introduced me to the head of Staff Development. She was a wonderful Catholic woman I had known a number of years ago. She told me there were no openings in the Alzheimer’s unit. It was such a loving and caring environment that I decided to have my mother’s name added to the waiting list even though it looked like it would be a long wait. But the problem was that I could not wait. I needed to find a place for my mother immediately.

Then I went to see the Admission’s administrator. As we talked, I learned that she was a member of my parish, even though I had never met her before. She told there were no openings. I told her that I had been praying to Padre Pio for my mother’s needs. She seemed so surprised to hear me mention Padre Pio’s name. She told me that for the first time ever, she had just sent his prayers to one of her sick relatives.”I think you and I have some kind of Padre Pio connection” she said to me. Then I remembered my dream. In a very short period of time, I had just met three Catholic women and they all had dark hair, although in my dream I could not see their faces clearly.

She made a short phone call and then said to me, “We do have an opening. There is one opening in the Alzheimer’s unit.” My mother was admitted immediately. She went to the unit for lunch and then to take a nap. My mother has been truly happy in this nursing home and the tender loving care she receives is an inspiration.

Sometimes I become very sad when I remember the way my mother used to be and all that Alzheimer’s disease had taken from her. Then I think about my dream and that heavenly place we were standing in. Perhaps I got a little glimpse of the beautiful place that God is preparing for my mother, when she leaves this life for a better one. Even if we have to endure many sufferings here below, it doesn’t really matter so much, when we think about our true home, Heaven.

– Diane Allen

I recently had a very vivid dream in which I was walking with a man who was carrying a lantern. He was limping slightly as he walked and his posture was somewhat bent. He had a serious demeanor and I noticed that he seemed to be in a hurry. He spoke to me in Italian and said that a very important day was coming soon. I understood the Italian words in my dream even though I do not speak the language. Then the dream ended.

I told my good friend Tony Fajardo about the dream and he then showed me a picture of Padre Pio. There was no doubt about it. He was the man I had seen in my dream. I knew practically nothing about Padre Pio. Tony had told me on a previous occasion that he had the stigmata. That was the extent of my knowledge. I had never seen a photo of Padre Pio before. I did not even know that he was from Italy.

In my dream, I felt that Padre Pio was proud of me for finally realizing that the Catholic faith was destined to be a part of my life. This month I am going to begin to take classes so that I can be confirmed. In the dream, when Padre Pio said that an important date was coming up, I thought that he might be talking about his birthday. But since then, I have learned that he received the Stigmata on Sept 20 and that his feast day is September 23. I had the dream on September 6.

– Nicholas Beattie

My father, Italo Francia had not been feeling well. When he went to the doctor for tests, it was found that he had a large cancerous tumor. In order to shrink the tumor, he was given radiation and chemotherapy at the Metropolitan Hospital’s Windsor Cancer Center in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. After that, he had surgery. He had to continue with the chemotherapy treatments after the surgery. The treatments made him so ill that he said that he would rather die than endure any more of them. He told his doctor that he had decided to discontinue the treatments. My mother and I resigned ourselves to my father’s decision.

Throughout my father’s illness, my mother had been praying to Padre Pio for a cure. I too prayed for Padre Pio’s intercession. I pulled out an old prayer card that my mother had given me years before. I prayed to Padre Pio that my father would be healed and that he would be able to walk me, his only daughter, down the aisle some day. If however, it was his time to die, I prayed that he would not suffer. During this time, I learned more about Padre Pio and the miracles that he performed, even after his death.

The night before his next doctor’s appointment, my father had a dream. In his dream, he was at the doctor’s office. On the monitor appeared two images of Padre Pio’s face where the tumor had been. After my father woke up, he felt secure that all would be well. A few days later we got the joyous news that my father was cancer-free. My parents are planning to go on a pilgrimage to Padre Pio’s monastery to thank him for this miracle.

– Maria Francia

In my younger years, when I was on a quest to grow in spiritual understanding, I found a used book, a biography of Padre Pio. After I read the book, I knew that I wanted Padre Pio to be my spiritual father for the rest of my life. Many years later, I read another book on his life and my dedication to him grew even greater.

When my mother and father were in their early 80’s, they were having some financial difficulties. One night I knelt by my bed and prayed, “Lord, send Padre Pio to my parents to help them.” Two weeks later, I was visiting my parents when my mother said, “I had a most unusual experience a few nights ago. I woke up at 3:00 a.m. and there was a monk standing right next to me. The hood of his habit was pulled up on his head.” I asked my mother if she was afraid and she told me that she had no fear at all. On the contrary, she said that she felt very peaceful. When the monk appeared at her bedside, she looked over at my father because she intended to wake him up, and when she looked back, the monk was gone. I then told her that I had prayed to Padre Pio and I had asked him to help both her and my father. Right after that, my parents’ financial difficulties all resolved and they had no more worries. I believe that my parents realized that Padre Pio’s visit was an answer to my prayers. But because they were both Protestants, and because the idea of saints was not in their religious tradition, I feel that they had some difficulty comprehending what had happened. Through the years, the blessings that I have received from Padre Pio continue to help me and to strengthen my faith in God.

– Dr. Ron Cobb – Retired Colonel, U.S. Army

Once, while on a job-hunting trip, I checked into a motel for the night. Several people who were at the motel made me feel uneasy. I began to feel a concern for the safety of my car and I hoped that it would not be vandalized in the night. Before I went to bed, I prayed and asked Padre Pio to watch over me and protect me and also my car. That night,I had a dream. In the dream, I was laying on my right side, and Padre Pio came and shook me awake saying, “Brenda, I think you’d better get up now.” When I woke up, I was laying on my right side, just like in my dream. I looked at the clock and saw that it was 3:00 a.m. I was so groggy, that I fell asleep again. I then had a second dream in which Padre Pio shook me once again, saying with greater emphasis, “Brenda! You had better get up now!” At that, I got up and looked out the window. Sure enough, the two fellows who had concerned me after I checked in to the motel, were at my car. One of them was under it! They left hastily when that saw me at the window. I am convinced that Padre Pio heard my prayer that night and came to my rescue.

– Brenda Zizzo

A few years ago I was praying to St. Pio and I asked him to send me a sign that he was listening to my prayers. Well, about a week later I received a package in the mail from Italy. The package came from San Giovanni Rotondo. A letter inside the package informed me that I had won the “Epiphany Raffle.” I had never even heard of the Epiphany Raffle. I won books on St. Pio, a number of beautiful photographs of St. Pio, a St. Pio hat and many other St. Pio items. Padre Pio had given me his sign that he was definitely listening to my prayers.

– Josie Grossi

My mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The most painful part of the illness for her was the awareness that she was losing her independence and her sharpness of mind. After four years, my sisters and I realized that she could no longer remain in her own home, even with 24-hour care. We found a lovely care facility for her. Mom’s condition rapidly worsened.

During this time, I prayed daily to Padre Pio that Mom would have a priest to assist her and give her the Last Rites before she passed away. I begged Padre Pio to help her in this way. After a fall, she was moved to a hospital and her condition worsened. However, when Fr. Don came to see her, she recognized and remembered him and was able to receive the sacraments of Anointing of the sick and the Eucharist. Two days later, I received a call that I needed to come to her bedside to say goodbye. I called her and told her I was on my way. She had not been able to have a phone conversation for 6 months. But she was able to take my call and to understand what I was saying to her. As I hung up the phone, the scent of roses filled the car. I thanked Padre Pio for obtaining these favors for me and for my mother. She passed away peacefully two days later. Glory to God for his tremendous prayer warrior, Padre Pio.

– Kayte Russell

I visited San Giovanni Rotondo and attended Padre Pio’s Mass several times, when as a U.S. soldier, I was stationed in Italy during World War II. The first time I met Padre Pio, I was very nervous and shaking in my boots. However, he smiled at me when we were introduced, and I lost all of my fear. Because I did not speak Italian, one of the Capuchins acted as translator. Padre Pio was very friendly and seemed happy to greet me. He had a wonderful sense of humor and often liked to tell innocent jokes. On several occasions, the other soldiers and I would walk with Padre Pio down the hall when he was on his way to hear the mens’ confessions. One time I asked him to bless a crucifix of mine. He took it and blessed it and then pressed it to his lips very hard before giving it back to me. Mary Pyle, his secretary, told me many things about Padre Pio’s life. She was a third order Franciscan and had a house just below the monastery. After Padre Pio’s Sunday Mass, a group of soldiers and I would visit Mary and she would serve us breakfast. I also met Padre Pio’s father at Mary Pyle’s house. He was a quiet man and I remember that he was able to speak some English. After the war was over and I returned to the U.S. Mary and I kept in touch through letters. When Mary and a friend of her’s came on a visit to the U.S. they visited me in Philadelphia.

– Joe Revelas

My daughter Margaret, who was born in 1950, had always been weak and ill. I had taken her to several doctors and they said that she would grow out of it. A doctor came to her school and upon seeing Margaret he sent me a letter stating that I should take her to a heart specialist. She was eleven years old at the time. When she was examined and x-rayed, it was found that she had a hole in her heart and the valves in her heart were small. She would have to have a serious operation but since she was so weak she was sent home to build up her strength for the surgery. When we came home, Margaret told me she would write a letter to Padre Pio. She did this and a short time later she received a nice letter from him. He told her not to worry but to go the hospital and everything would be all right. When we went to the doctor and another x-ray was taken, the doctor asked me what had been done to her. I told him nothing for I did not know what he was talking about. He showed me both x-ray’s. One showed a large hole in the heart and the last x-ray showed that the hole was almost closed. She didn’t have to go in for the heart operation.

– Mary Cunningham

After the birth of my third child, I suffered a post partum depression which affected me with phobias that made me ill and in many ways made me incapable of caring for my infant and the family. I had heard all about Fr. Pio from a relative of mine. I had written to Fr. Pio about my plight and asked for his intercession. His superior wrote back to me saying, “Fr. Pio wants you to know that all will be well.” Shortly after that as I prayed before a picture of Fr. Pio, I sensed his presence and the room was filled with the fragrance of violets. From that moment on, I was cured of this ailment.

– Name Withheld

If you have received a grace or a blessing from Padre Pio and would like to share it with us, we would be very happy to hear from you. Please email webmaster@saintpio.org.