Monthly Letter

Dear Spiritual Children and Friends of Padre Pio,                                                                   

Queen of Heaven, Rejoice, Alleluia!

For the Son Whom You bore, Alleluia!

Has risen as He said, Alleluia!

Pray to God for us, Alleluia!

Rejoice and be glad of Virgin Mary, Alleluia!

For the Lord is truly Risen, Alleluia!

The Risen Christ bless you with His Pardon, Peace, and Paraclete!

The moment immortalized in the hearts of God’s children is forever indelibly imprinted in our hearts. One word, small and powerful, able to move the Eternal One Himself, is “Yes”. God waited for the promised one among the children of Abraham to respond to His offer. The Angel Gabriel received Her somewhat confused but assured and determined answer, “Yes”, to the impossible.  God becomes One with humanity in humanity for humanity through humanity in Mary. The breach was finally closed and the union was consummated between heaven and earth. The earthly journey of experiences and human growth began for the Incarnate God. Prophets for centuries had foretold where all this was to lead. Words were clear but hearts eventually determined it would evolve differently than the Divine Plan. For humans maybe, but not for God! With God no one negotiates. God knows and God’s wisdom is the ultimate anyone can hope to achieve.

Mary, the Mother in Faith and spokesperson for all humanity, allowed God to begin the proximate fulfillment of the Promise of Eden to our first parents. The intimacy of relationship with God makes the Blessed Virgin Mary infinitely less than God but eminently greater than any and all creation. Honoring Mary is a “thank you” we offer God and Mary for allowing us, in Her, to be co-responsible for the beginning of our own redemption in the Person of Christ, Her Son.

Explanations are really useless. One can only bow profoundly to the wisdom and power of God and say “Thank You”.

This is one great reason all Saints and Holy people, whether officially so or not, revere Mary greater than all the Saints. She is Daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son, and Spouse of the Holy Spirit as St. Francis said in one of his prayers to Our Lady. Franciscans, following our Seraphic Father’s example, continue that loving legacy.

Our own beloved Padre Pio of Pietrelcina was no different. In fact, he excelled in his love and devotion. The responses to his prayers to Mary for others were verification of the love God manifested to him through Mary’s intercession. The following excerpt of a letter of Padre Pio offers us just a glimpse into his love and devotion for Mary. He is writing to his Spiritual Director, Padre Agostino.

My Dear Father,

        Oh, how lovely the month of May!  How well this month preaches the tenderness and beauty of Mary! When I think of the innumerable benefits received from this dear Mother I am ashamed of myself, for I have never sufficiently appreciated her heart and her hand which have bestowed these benefits upon me with so much love, and what troubles me the most is that I have repaid the affectionate care of this Mother of ours by continually offending her. How often I have confided to this Mother the painful anxieties that troubled my heart!  And how often has she consoled me! But in what did my gratitude consist? In my greatest sufferings it seems to me that I no longer have a mother on this earth, but a very compassionate one in heaven. I have forgotten all this almost entirely I have even forgotten my duty of gratitude towards the blessed heavenly Mother!

         Poor dear Mother, how you love me! I observed it at once more at the dawning of this beautiful month. But what great care she took to accompany me to the altar this morning. I felt a mysterious fire in my heart that I could not understand.

          I wish I had a voice strong enough to invite sinners of the whole world to love Our Lady.  But since this is not within my power, I have prayed and will pray to my dear Angel to perform this task for me.

(letter to Padre Agostino, 1 May 1912)       

Padre Pio of Pietrelcina’s love for Mary, the Mother of Jesus, was one of the deepest and most defining elements of his spiritual life. Devotion to Mary was not simply a tradition or a set of prayers; it was a living relationship with a mother who guided him, protected him, and helped him stay close to Jesus. This love he received as a child from his own family, grew from his earliest years and remained strong throughout his life, shaping the way he prayed, suffered, and served others. The month of May held a special place in his heart. He saw it as a time when the Church and the world seemed to bloom with Marian tenderness, inviting believers to rediscover her presence with fresh gratitude, and sense the fragrance of Her holiness ever-present to encourage Her children to seek and follow Jesus.

When Padre Pio spoke of Mary, it was never an abstract devotion; it was the language of someone who felt genuinely accompanied by an inimitable presence. The Rosary of Our Lady was a lifeline. For him, prayer was not about repetition but about anchoring himself in a presence that steadied him in suffering, temptation, and spiritual dryness.  Through Mary he found a path to Christ that was tender, immediate, and sustaining. His insight pushes against the idea that prayer must always feel dramatic or emotionally charged.  Instead, he suggests that fidelity itself creates a quiet intimacy that transforms the heart overtime. It’s a reminder that what looks simple from the outside can be, for  the one praying, a profound act of trust and love.

Padre Pio’s devotion to Mary was rooted in a simple but powerful belief: Mary was not distant or symbolic. She was a real mother who cared for him personally. He often spoke of her as someone who walked with him through every trial. When he faced spiritual battles, physical pain, or emotional exhaustion, he turned to her with the trust of a child. He believed that Mary never ignored a cry for help, and he encouraged others to seek her intercession with the same confidence. His rosary was almost always in his hands, and he prayed it so constantly that it became part of his identity. To him, the rosary was not a repetitive exercise but a way of staying close to Mary and, through her, to Jesus.

Padre Pio’s Marian spirituality wasn’t an accessory to his faith; it was the atmosphere he breathed. Mary was, for him, the one who stayed close in every trial, the mother who never abandoned her children, and the surest path to Christ. His devotion wasn’t sentimental or occasional. It was woven into the rhythm of his day, especially through the rosary, which he prayed almost constantly. He saw Mary as the compassionate mediator who brings souls to Jesus with a tenderness that human strength alone cannot manage.

What stands out is how personal his relationship with her was. He didn’t speak of Mary as an idea or a theological category but as someone present, attentive, and active in his life. In his letters, he often described her protection in moments of spiritual battle and her consoling presence in suffering. For him, Mary wasn’t a detour from Christ but the most direct way to Him, because she forms hearts to resemble His.

Padre Pio’s Marian spirituality challenges the modern tendency to treat devotion as optional or decorative. He shows that love for Mary can be a stabilizing force, a source of courage, and a school of humility. It’s a spirituality rooted not in extraordinary visions but in daily fidelity, trust, and affection.

The month of May intensified this devotion. In our Catholic tradition we know that May is dedicated to Mary, and Padre Pio embraced this with his whole heart. He saw May as a time when Mary’s presence felt especially near, like a gentle light settling over the soul. He encouraged people to honor her with prayer, reflection, and acts of kindness. For him, May was not just a calendar tradition; it was a spiritual season. He believed that Mary used this month to draw people closer to God, offering them comfort, guidance, and renewed hope. He often spoke of feeling her tenderness more vividly during May, as if she were leaning closer to listen and to help.

Padre Pio’s letters reveal how deeply he felt this connection. He wrote about moments when he sensed Mary’s protection in ways he could not fully explain. Sometimes, he described a mysterious warmth in his heart, a kind of spiritual fire that filled him with peace. Other times he spoke of her consoling him during his darkest struggles. These experiences were not dramatic visions but quiet, interior moments that strengthened him. They reminded him that he was never alone, even when his suffering felt overwhelming. His love for Mary was not based on emotion alone; it was grounded in years of trusting her help and seeing her influence in his life.

What makes Padre Pio’s devotion especially meaningful is its humility. He often admitted that he felt unworthy of Mary’s love. He recognized that he sometimes forgot to thank her or failed to appreciate how often she had helped him. This humility did not discourage him; instead, it deepened his gratitude. He saw Mary’s patience with him as another sign of her motherly care. Even when he felt weak or distracted, he believed she continued to guide him gently back to God. This sense of being loved despite imperfections made his devotion relatable to ordinary people. He showed that Marian devotion is not about perfection but about trust.

He understood Mary as a model of discipleship. Her life, marked by faith, courage, and quiet strength, inspired him to follow Christ more faithfully. He admired her ability to remain close to Jesus in both joy and suffering. Her presence at the foot of the Cross taught him how to endure his own trials with patience and love. He believed that Mary helped him unite his suffering with Christ’s, transforming pain into a source of spiritual growth. This belief gave him strength during the long years when he endured illness, misunderstanding, and spiritual attacks. Mary was not only his comfort; she was his example.

During May, Padre Pio encouraged others to renew their devotion to Mary. He urged them to pray the rosary, attend Mass, and reflect on Mary’s role in their lives. He believed that honoring Mary in May could bring peace to troubled hearts and healing to wounded souls. He saw this month as a chance for people to rediscover the beauty of having a heavenly Mother who cares for them. His guidance was gentle but firm: turn to Mary, trust her, and let her lead you to Jesus. He knew from experience that those who draw close to Mary never regret it.

Padre Pio’s love for Mary was not limited to prayer; it shaped the way he treated others. He tried to imitate her compassion, patience, and tenderness. People who came to him for confession or advice often felt a sense of being welcomed and understood. Even when he had to correct someone, he did so with a fatherly kindness that reflected Mary’s influence. His devotion to her made him more attentive to the needs of others, especially the suffering and the poor. In this way, his love for Mary became a source of love for the world around him.

Today, example of our beloved Padre continues to inspire people who seek a deeper relationship with Mary. His life shows that Marian devotion is not outdated or sentimental; it is a powerful way of growing closer to God. His experiences remind us that Mary’s love is real, steady, and available to anyone who asks for her help. The month of May remains a special time to reflect on this love, to renew our gratitude, and to open our hearts to her guidance. Padre Pio invites us to see Mary as a Mother who walks with us, comforts us, and leads us gently toward the light of Christ.

Padre Pio’s love for Mary that desired all sinners everywhere to love Our Lady, was a love shaped by trust, gratitude, and deep spiritual experience. It was the love of a child for a mother who never failed him. May, with its beauty and quiet grace, is a symbol of this relationship. It is a time when we are invited as he to feel her presence most clearly and respond with renewed loving devotion. We are encouraged to look at Mary with the same openness, to let her tenderness touch our lives, and to discover in her a mother who brings us closer to God.

The longing expressed in that last line of the letter above carries a quiet, aching beauty. Reflecting on it in a fuller way reveals how deeply it speaks to the human desire to participate in something larger than oneself. To wish for a voice strong enough to call the whole world to love Our Lady is, at its core, a desire to share what feels luminous and life‑giving. It is the yearning of someone who has encountered a love so gentle and transformative that silence feels almost like a betrayal of its goodness. Yet the humility in admitting that such a task is beyond one’s own strength gives the sentiment its real depth. It acknowledges the limits of a single human voice while still refusing to let those limits become an excuse for inaction or resignation. Instead, it becomes an invitation to collaborate with the unseen, to trust that what one cannot do alone may still be done through channels that transcend ordinary human reach.

Yet, in the deeply spiritual and loving relationship with Our Lady, Padre Pio is something also profoundly human in turning to his guardian angel with this hope of reaching the hearts of all people, especially sinners. It reflects a belief that spiritual companionship is not passive but active, that the beings who accompany us are not merely observers but helpers who can carry our intentions farther than our words could ever travel. In this sense, the prayer becomes an act of surrender rather than frustration. It is not a lament over personal inadequacy but a recognition that love, when it is sincere, naturally seeks help in order to expand. The desire to evangelize becomes less about personal accomplishment and more about participating in a movement of grace that flows outward, touching hearts in ways no human strategy could orchestrate.

At the same time, Padre Pio’s words reveal a deep trust in the power of intercession. It suggests that even when one’s voice feels small, one’s longing is not wasted. The very act of entrusting this desire to his guardian angel implies a belief that spiritual intentions have weight which ripples outward in ways unseen. It also subtly affirms that holiness is not measured by volume or reach but by sincerity. A whisper offered with purity of heart may accomplish more than a shout delivered with pride. In this way, the prayer becomes a reminder that influence in the spiritual realm does not follow the same logic as influence in the world. What matters is not how many people hear you, but how deeply your desire aligns with love.

The quiet courage in the sentiment wishes to call sinners—meaning all of humanity in its imperfection—to love Our Lady and to believe that no one is beyond the reach of tenderness. It is to see the world not as a collection of failures but as a field of souls capable of being awakened. This perspective carries hope rather than judgment. It imagines a world in which every heart, no matter how wounded or distant, can be touched by maternal compassion. And by asking an angel to carry this message, the speaker acknowledges that such transformation often happens in ways we cannot see, through movements of conscience, moments of unexpected comfort, or subtle shifts in desire.

Ultimately, the last words quoted of Padre Pio’s letter above express a beautiful paradox: the desire to do something immense paired with the humility to admit one cannot do it alone. It is a recognition that love often begins in small, hidden places—within a single heart, in a single prayer—and yet has the potential to expand far beyond what the one who prays could ever witness. In entrusting this longing to an angel, the one who prays participates in a kind of spiritual generosity that does not demand recognition or results. It simply offers itself, trusting that what is given in love will find its way to where it is needed most.

How simple and how profound the message our beloved Padre Pio offers us for the month dedicated to our Heavenly Mother, the Great Mother of God, Mary, Most Holy. Remember Our Blessed Mother this month and every moment of your lives. Her “yes” to the impossible confirmed Mary as Mother of Faith. In that Faith we seek, like our Mother, to live as children of the Father Who created us, the Son Our Brother Who redeemed us, and the Holy Spirit Constant Companion and Protector of life’s journey Who leads us on our Journey Into God.

Praying that this Easter Season is a time of serenity and peace for you and your families, I remember you in my prayers and Masses. Please pray for all your sisters and brothers, Spiritual Children of our beloved Padre Pio, and please for me as well. May Jesus be our focus Whose image we keep before the eyes of our heart; Mary be our Guide leading us always to Her Son, our Lord and Savior; Joseph the silent Protector of those who hear, listen and follow in silence and trust; and Padre Pio our spiritual guide who reminds us that through life’s journey there is nothing that can overcome our resolve if we would only: PRAY, HOPE and DON’T WORRY!  Why? Because Jesus kept His word, He Who is The Word Incarnate Who ios Risen from the dead no more to die.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen as He said. Alleluia!

Alleluia! And We are His Witnesses! Alleluia!

Peace and Blessings

Fr. Francis A. Sariego, OFM Cap

National Coordinator