First titled The Holy Man on the Mountain, this book tells the fascinating life story of Padre Pio, with emphasis on his life as a seminarian, young priest and his early decades at San Giovanni Rotondo. Incredible is the number of times the Capuchins sent him home sick unto death while a seminarian and young priest and how he was finally sent to remote San Giovanni Rotondo “for a couple of weeks of mountain air.” He never left. But from this small, remote mountain friary, he became world-famous and exercised unbelievable influence on the entire world—though early on, he was forbidden by his superiors to preach, to write, or to correspond.
Author Frank Rega also weaves in the Saint’s early work with "L’Americana," Mary Pyle, his “foreign ambassadress,” and then with the American GI’s who came to visit him during World War II, when San Giovanni Rotondo was liberated from the Germans. Padre Pio developed a special love for Americans and America—to the point that he wished that all Americans would become his spiritual children.
This book demonstrate Padre Pio’s great love for his parents, his amazing sense of humor, his abstemious eating, his uncanny knowledge of people (even before they visited), and his profound supernatural awareness. In sum, Padre Pio and America is an inspiring book that will instill a profound awe in readers, because it shows the impact a truly saintly priest can have on all who come into contact with him—and in Padre Pio’s case, even on the whole world! 352 pages, paperback
Reviews:
***** Padre Pio and America
Posted by Mike STL on Jan 17th 2024
I have always admired Padre Pio and this book has given me a new perspective on how saintly he really was. I highly recommend this book.
***** This book is an outstanding
Posted by JULIE H. on Dec 13th 2022
This book is an outstanding read!!
Great book! Posted by Bob on May 24th 2023
This has to be one of my favorite books on St. Pio (and I own a number of them now). St. Pio is my favorite saint...my "buddy" in Heaven. This book really makes his warmth and holiness shine. And what;s really special about this book is a good portion of it focuses on stories told by American GI;s who returned from WWII and had many wonderful stories to tell about him. I highly recommend this book to any fan of this great saint. I love you, Saint Pio, and look forward to one day being your friend in Heaven. Please pray for me.
