The last Mass of Padre Pio
This video shows Padre Pio celebrating an High Mass. The title is "L'ultima Messa di Padre Pio". The comment in Italian is not intrusive.
The Mass was celebrated on September 22, 1968. A "Messa Cantata Solenne", a solemn Tridentine Mass, was said in Latin, and several parts were sung.
The celebrant had two assistants, a deacon and a subdiacon. It lasted more than one hour.
This home video shows little more that eight minutes of the event. Padre Pio died hours later., at 2:30 AM on September 23, 1968.
The Mass was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the visible wounds /stigmata.
Many thousands of people were in town for the First International Convention of the Prayer Groups.
This video is an authentic gem, even if it is at low resolution, given the age.
The sound of the bells, the organ, the singing choir, the assembly that filled the church, the frail voice of Padre Pio all is authentic as it happened.
Some observations about what you see in the video:
On that day Padre Pio was not feeling well and was very weak. He drags himself and is held by both arms.
For the past six months he had used a wheel chair to go around, but now wanted to stand on his own for the occasion.
In the same timeframe he had been permitted to celebrate Mass sitting, instead of standing. He celebrated at a mobile altar, facing the assembly.
He sings the words "Gloria in excelsis Deo". Glory to God in the highest. He also sings the "Oremus", the long Oration of the day.
Then the deacon reads the gospel of the Annunciation. Padre Pio than intones "Credo in unum Deum." I believe in one God.
He is helped to go to the altar, were he sits to continue the celebration.
When he raises the paten for the offertory, and when he raises the chalice, one can see that the wounds have disappeared.
Then the video jumps to the end of the Mass, were Padre Pio sings:
"Dominus vobiscum. Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus, Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus" . The Lord be with you. May the almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Then the deacon sings "Ite Missa est" .Go, the Mass is ended. And the assembly responds "Deo Gratias". Thanks be to God.
Then while the organ plays a joyous finale, Padre Pio tries to leave the altar, but he has no more energy, and is about to fall to the ground, and the crowd gets loudly agitated, and the organ stops playing, and the gigantic American friar Bill Martin runs to the rescue, and holds Padre Pio in a solid bear hug, until he is deposited on a wheel chair, and taken to the sacristy. The organ resumes playing.
The last Mass of Padre Pio 08:36
Speech of Padre Pio on May 5, 1956 for the grand opening of
The House for the Relief of Suffering (01:13)
On the day of the grand opening of the Home for the Relief of Suffering Padre Pio read a statement.
Here you can see and hear him talking in Italian with his Neapolitan accent (this might be the reason for the on screen Italian caption, on the Italian TV).
The file extension is .wmw for Windows Media Player.
Keeping the video screen on the right side, you will be able to follow the English translation, sentence by sentence, on the left side of the monitor.
Gentlemen and brothers in Christ
the Home for the Relief of Suffering is completed.
I thank the benefactors from every part of the world,
who have cooperated.
This is the creature that the Providence, helped by you,
has created. I present it to you.
Admire it and bless with me the Lord God.
A seed has been deposed in the dirt
that He will warm up with His rays of love.
A new army made of renounces and love
it's about to stand for the glory of God
and for the comfort of souls and sick bodies.
Don't deprive us of your help. Cooperate to this
apostolate of relief of human suffering
and the Divine charity that has no limits,
and that is the same light of God and of eternal life
will accumulate for each of us
a treasury of graces
of which Jesus made us heirs on the Cross.
At Noon Padre Pio used to appear at the window of the choir in the convent, and pray the Angelus Domini with the faithful.
At the end he waved at the crowd with his old fashioned oversized white hand kerchief.
Narrated in Italian with subtitles in English (00:58)
IN THIS VIDEO WE SEE THE ARRIVAL OF THE STATUE OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA IN SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO IN 1959
Narrated in Italian with subtitles in English (02:53)
Narrated in Italian, with English translation. (02:21)
Next short video is about Padre Pio meeting the faithful outside the convent.
He he goes to vote downtown San Giovanni Rotondo, and you won't believe you eyes watching Padre Pio treated to a flowers and confetti parade.
The background music added is the chorus from Bach's cantata BWV 19
Padre Pio going to vote downtown San Giovanni Rotondo for an Italian General Election (01:24)
In the next video several silent clips of Padre Pio passing through the hallways and meeting people, are stitched together.
This video should be seen several times, and in slow motions, to grasp what is really going on.
Meeting Padre Pio was something special, very special. With every person he had a different interaction.
His facial expression, the movement of the hands and of the arms, the turning of the head, the making of eye contact, the words that he said, the blessings,
the answers that he gave, everything that seemed casual was eminently supernatural.
There was a minimal part seen, all the rest was unseen.
We know that his guardian Angel was always close by and visible by him.
Being able to kiss the wounded hand of Padre Pio was held as a special privilege and an assurance of being in good standing with God.
As you can see, not everybody was allowed to. He read the conscience of every person, and knew a lot about their lives.
When people wanted to ask him something, but their voices were choked by the emotion he would give the answer without hearing the question.
Many letters were given to him, and he gave answers without opening them.
He stressed to his superiors: “Jesus tells me what to say.” The interactions with Padre Pio were extremely brief but eminently intense.
There was nothing superfluous. There was maximal optimization of his time.
God was with him and in
him, and speaking through him.
Padre Pio died, but he is not ended.
He said: “After my death I will be able to do much more.”
And that is what’s happening.
The enormous treasury accumulated through a lifetime of unconditional love for God, 58 years of wounds, endless sufferings,
millions of rosaries, eminently mystical Masses, continuous re-living of the Passion,
all of these things keep flowing abundantly around the globe, just for the asking.
The rest is up to us.