Priests, religious told: Draw inspiration from Padre Pio

A Catholic bishop asked the clergy and the consecrated persons to draw inspiration from Saint Padre Pio, both in his life and ministry.

Like Padre Pio, Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan encouraged priests and the religious to carry out with joy and zeal in their ministry.

“The heart of Padre Pio, like that of Jesus, burned with a priestly zeal to save and not to condemn sinners,” said David during a homily Oct. 8.

The Vice President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) celebrated Mass at the University of Santo Tomas for the heart relic of the Capuchin friar.

He also reminded church people to keep the fire of faith burning and kindle it with care and cautioned them against churches becoming mere houses of business.

“When we have placed price tags on sacraments and because of these the poor already think twice about approaching the church, once they haven’t felt that they’re part of our communities, it means there’s no more fire in our churches,” said David.

“Let us ask prayers from Padre Pio and through his prayer the faith of Filipinos that turned cold will be enlivened,” he added.

The relic arrived at the UST on Monday morning, the second destination of its 21-day tour in the Philippines, wherein reflections and veneration were held for the clergy and the religious.

As the local church celebrates the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Life, Padre Pio was chosen as the model for all priests and consecrated persons.

Padre Pio of Pietrelcina is one of the Catholic Church’s most popular saints of this century.

After the mass, an overnight public veneration was held at the UST Santisimo Rosario Parish located inside the UST campus before it was transferred to the Manila Cathedral on Tuesday.

The relic will stay at the Manila Cathedral until October 11 before it will be brought to the cities of Cebu and Davao.