Why Padre Pio?
By Nadia Smith
Many have asked us why we chose St. Padre Pio as the patron saint for the new Chesterton Academy. We would actually say that he chose us.
When the founding members, which comprise the Board, began discerning the call from the Holy Spirit to start a classical high school in the Catholic faith tradition, St. Padre Pio felt close to us especially when we felt particularly overwhelmed by the daunting reality of what we were embarking on.
As Rhea Tankersley, board secretary, explained, “Padre Pio wasn't really a choice but more of a roar of the Holy Spirit! Thinking back to the beginning days, he really seemed to 'pop up' in lots of little ways especially through the Surrender Novena.”
Cristin O’Connor, board vice president, encouraged us to pray the Surrender Novena as a Board and it quickly became our lifeline as we prayed it on repeat for months.
The Surrender Novena was given by Jesus through extraordinary communication with a little known Italian priest from Napoli called Don Dolindo Ruotolo. Don Dolindo also happened to be Padre Pio’s spiritual director for a time and whom the saint admired greatly saying about him, “the whole of paradise is in his soul.” (More on Don Dolindo and the Surrender Novena in our next blog post.)
The Surrender Novena gave courage, peace, and joy to Padre Pio and Don Dolindo despite the challenges and suffering they endured. At its core, the novena teaches that all we need to do is surrender ourselves completely to the will of God and let Him take care of the rest.
“Let us always do God’s will and always say ‘yes’ to the Lord,” Padre Pio advised, “Don’t tire yourself with things that cause anxieties, concerns, and worries. Only one thing is necessary, to lift up your spirit and to love God.”
Padre Pio lived these words so intimately that he received all the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, and was physically marked by the five wounds of Christ known as the stigmata. Padre Pio also knew great suffering and humiliation, but through it all his prayer life remained steadfast: “This heart of mine is Yours, my Jesus. So, take this heart of mine, fill it with Your love, and then order me to do whatever You wish.”
He spent his days hearing confession, giving spiritual direction, and offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with such love that it was described as a profound mystical experience. Through Padre Pio, Jesus healed countless people physically and spiritually in recorded miracles and performed wondrous works including casting out demons, reading souls, and prophesying. Padre Pio was a living example of what Jesus meant when he said, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).
No doubt, many pilgrims were attracted to the supernatural events that took place around Padre Pio, but his example of holiness, obedience, and surrender to the will of God is what kept people returning and what has made him one of the most beloved modern saints.
His example of surrender gave us courage to say yes to the Lord to do the hard work He is requesting of us in bringing Chesterton Academy to Sarasota. He shows us that we too can overcome anything with God’s grace if we give our trust over to Jesus. Padre Pio is the type of person we hope to put forth to our future students to learn and emulate when it comes to following Christ. We feel blessed to have these heavenly helpers alive and well interceding for us (Revelation 5:8).
As Board Member Kathie Carolan puts it, “Today’s world seems to suck hope out of our culture — especially youth culture. Our school desires to be an antidote to that with G.K. Chesterton and Padre Pio as special role models.”
If you share this vision of hope for our youth, we ask that you support Chesterton Academy of St. Padre Pio. It takes all of us to bring this school to our area as it truly is a calling of the Holy Spirit.
To learn more about Padre Pio visit Biography of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina | EWTN.