Padre Pio and You, by Mary O'Regan.

Padre Pio and You, the highly anticipated book by Mary O'Regan, is now available for pre-order from the publisher, Sophia Press, at this link: 

https://sophiainstitute.com/product/padre-pio-and-you/

 

Here is my review of her book: 

Mary O’Regan’s new book is quite aptly titled Padre Pio and You, because she takes the reader on a personal journey that relives both the external events and the inner life of this great saint. True, it is a complete biography of St. Pio, but it is much more than that. Chapter after chapter, the author underscores the relationship between Padre Pio’s life experiences and their practical application to the spiritual journey of the reader. 

 

In the theater, an imaginary “fourth wall” is spoken of, that separates the actors on the stage from the people in the audience – there is no interaction between the two groups. But in O’Regan’s book Padre Pio reaches out to the reader, crossing that invisible line. For example after relating a typical incident from the Saint’s life, she writes: “There is a beautiful instruction here for you and me.” And she will indicate just what that instruction might be. Another example: “His prayers for Amalia [who was childless] meant she bore a son. There may be an Amalia in our lives who longs for a little one. If so, ask Pio’s intercession.”   

 

I was particularly impressed by her chapter on Padre Pio’s deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It begins with the 1959 visit of the Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima to Italy, which culminated in the miraculous cure of a seriously ill Padre Pio, as the statue circled his friary in a helicopter over San Giovanni Rotondo. She illustrates St. Pio’s famous attachment to praying the Rosary with such pithy anecdotes as: “A friar who lived with Pio recounted how he had to help Padre Pio wash his hands one at a time – not both hands at once – because he would pray on his left hand while the right was being washed!” As for the author’s personal advice to the reader on praying the Rosary: “We may find it very enlightening that Padre Pio said, “Mary is present in every mystery of the Rosary”. We, too, may invite Our Lady’s presence into our lives when we offer a decade of the Rosary.”

 

For a thorough look at Padre Pio’s entire lifetime, from his parents and childhood to his passing in 1968, this book is invaluable. St. Pio’s relationship with the reigning Popes, those that opposed him and those that favored him….his miracles, the stigmata, charismatic gifts such as reading of souls, his amazing Holy Mass, relations with angels and souls in purgatory, his confessional, his conversions and his persecutors, his letters, hospital and prayer groups….it is all presented in this wonderful book. But possibly even more significant is the practical spiritual direction that the author imparts, which can be life-changing for the reader. As the author of several Padre Pio books myself, I can highly recommend Mary O’Regan’s opus. 

 

www.frankrega.com