April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
ANNUAL CELEBRATION
Rensselaer revs up to honor Padre Pio
Rensselaer revs up to honor Padre Pio
The deacon was referring to St. Padre Pio, whose feast day is coming up at the end of September.
The Rensselaer parish community, which has a strong Italian history, celebrates St. Pio every September with a memorial and feast in his honor. A Mass that Sunday also honors the modern-day saint by being celebrated mostly in Italian, St. Pio's native tongue.
The Mass is followed by the veneration of a relic of the saint that St. John the Evangelist and St. Joseph's has in its possession.
This year's celebration will be held Sept. 18, with an 11 a.m. Mass, veneration of the relic and an Italian buffet at the parish's McManus Center at noon, along with prizes and raffles.
Born in Italy, Padre Pio entered the Capuchin order of friars when he was just 15. After suffering from various illnesses as a youth, he was ordained in his early 20s. Later in life, Padre Pio was seen as being touched by God, having visible stigmata on his hands and feet.
Today, he is known for that, and for his charity.
We love him
"We are all devoted to Padre Pio," said Sandy Rauso, a parishioner who attends the memorial and feast every year. Her husband, Thomas, believes that Padre Pio would enjoy the parish gathering in his honor.
"It's a fundraiser for the charitable programs of the parish," Deacon Mansfield noted. The proceeds benefit three organizations: Catholic Charities; St. Paul's Center, a shelter for homeless or battered mothers and their children; and Circles of Mercy, a Rensselaer-based ministry of the Sisters of Mercy that offers a variety of services for families in need.
Mr. Rauso came to the United States from Italy more than 50 years ago -- in fact, from the same region that Padre Pio called home.
"He did a lot of good," said Mr. Rauso, who never visited the birthplace of the saint, but still admires him.
Famous but humble
Mr. Rauso said St. Pio left his mark on his native land, inspiring and creating housing, hospitals and schools in communities that needed them.
He noted that, though Padre Pio is one of the most famous saints from southern Italy, "he was so modest."
St. Pio died in 1968 at the age of 81. He was canonized in 2002 by Pope John Paul II, just a dozen years before the pope himself was sainted.
Padre Pio met St. John Paul early in both their lives. In the late 1940s, when then-Rev. Karol Wojtyla was studying in Rome at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Padre Pio heard his confession. During that meeting, it's said, Padre Pio told the young Polish priest that he would someday become the pope -- 31 years before that happened.
Saint comes through
The parishioners at St. John the Evangelist and St Joseph's are devoted to St. Pio not just because of their Italian heritage, said Mrs. Rauso. She told The Evangelist that prayers directed to the saint have often helped her get through illnesses.
She said that the parish believes in Padre Pio's humble spirit. "He was a good man and was blessed by the Lord," Mr. Rauso added.
The parish has been celebrating the saint for as long as anyone can remember, though in the past decade, Mr. Rauso has seen attendance for the feast drop. He believes it's because of the aging of the good Italian cooks in the area.
"It's a simple dinner," Deacon Mansfield told The Evangelist, listing chicken parmesan, macaroni salad and homemade desserts.[[In-content Ad]]
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