Paperback: He believed, hoping against hope. - Romans 4:18
As people everywhere seek to make sense of the Covid-19 coronavirus plaguing the world today - the sense of darkness, abandonment, and suffering - Padre Pio shows us the way he faced the pandemic in his own day - the Spanish influenza of 1918.
Even St. Padre Pio himself became infected. Perhaps worse for the stigmatized saint, many close to him were infected: his fellow friars, spiritual sons and daughters, and his own family members in Pietrelcina.
What was his attitude toward the virus? How did he react when he became infected? What did he do for those close to him who fell ill, some near death? How did he respond when his own dear sister and other family members lost their lives from the virus?
In this timely book, Stefano Campanella answers these questions. He offers a response to the age-old question about the mystery of suffering and how to face it. Padre Pio did not experience suffering as a random scourge, a meaningless burden, or with despair. Instead, he faced it with holy resignation and abandonment to the will of God. Padre Pio understood - indeed he lived on his own skin - the mysterious connection between suffering and redemption, the cross and resurrection, pain and love. Ever a disciple of our Lady of Sorrows, Padre Pio faced everything with the Virgin Mary always at his side.
In this independently published book - The Pandemic of Padre Pio: Disciple of Our Lady of Sorrows (2021, English edition), Padre Pio shows us how to face a pandemic. As a Christian. As a disciple of Our Lady of Sorrows. As a saint.
The Pandemic of Padre Pio: Disciple of Our Lady of Sorrows is translated from the Italian by Bret Thoman OFS. The Pandemic of Padre Pio: Disciple of Our Lady of Sorrows is originally published as La Pandemia di Padre Pio: Discepolo dell' Addolorata (2021). This work is dedicated to those who have lost their lives or a loved one due to the Covid-19 pandemic. And, in particular, to the friars of the Convent of San Giovanni Rotondo, hit hard, humanly and pastorally, by this tragic ordeal.
About the author: Stefano Campanella was born in Putignano, Apulia. He graduated from the University of Bari and began his career as a journalist. For seven years, he was an accredited journalist for the Holy See and two years for the Italian Parliamnet. Since 2000, he has been had of the Press Office of the Capuchin Province of Sant'Angelo and Padre Pio, and director of Padre Pio TV, Radio Padre Pio and Tele Radio Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo where he lives with his wife and family. He is the author of numerous books, essays, articles and videos on Padre Pio. His website is www.stefanocampanella.it
About the translator: Bret Thoman has a master's degree in Italian from Middlebury College in Vermont, USA, a BA from the University of Georgia, and a certificate in Franciscan Studies. He has written numerous articles and books and has translated over a dozen books from Italian to English. He lives in Loreto, Italy, with his wife and three children where he organises pilgrimages at www.stfrancispilgrimages.com
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