Padre Pio Devotions will return to the Church of Saints Stephen and John in Castleisland on the coming Tuesday, September 19th at 7.30pm.
The devotions will then continue to be held on the third Tuesday of each month until the summer break.
Padre Pio’s Healing Glove, which has been gifted to Fr. Mossie Brick and the parish on an indefinite loan, will be available for blessings on the night and the event will be well stewarded by local volunteers.
A Miracle Baby
The witness will be given by a local young man who was dubbed ‘A Miracle Baby’ by the medical teams of two Dublin hospitals during the Christmas of 2008 and the early days of 2009.
When all medical avenues were exhausted and the hopes of the teams involved with the premature baby had all but run out, a nurse suggested that they should consider contacting the members of the Capuchin Order in the locality and ask for Padre Pio’s glove to be brought to his bedside.
Jayden Foley from Firies weighed in at a mere two-and-a-half pounds when he arrived 14 weeks early in hospital in Tralee just a week before Christmas Day in 2008.
Little or No Hope
He was immediately sent to Dublin as complications, including the dreaded meningitis, beset him.
“I’ll never forget that week up to Christmas and St. Stephen’s Day was worse,” said Jayden’s mom, Catheriona.
“That day he was really sick and we were told there was little or no hope for him and to make matters worse we were told he had a rare form of meningitis.
“While the medical staff members were updating us on his worsening condition, one of the nurses on duty suggested contacting the nearby Capuchins and asking if they would bring in the glove of Padre Pio.
“They got in touch and Brother Richard arrived. All I remember are the brown, flowing robes and sandals – and it was a freezing night.
Began to Recover
“He blessed Jayden that night and slowly but surely from then on he began to recover and get stronger.
“The medical staff admitted they were baffled at the turnaround and the recovery he made and they told us afterwards that they were fearing the worst in spite of all their best efforts to help him” said Catheriona.
“Years afterwards they still found it hard to believe that Jayden came out of that frightening emergency without a scar or any lingering medical condition – especially after the meningitis – as they expected him to have all kinds of complications afterwards.
“It was then they labeled him ‘The Miracle Baby’ before we eventually left Dublin.
The Powers of Padre Pio
“We’re big believers in the powers of Padre Pio and we were delighted to hear that Fr. Brick was bringing the devotions to Castleisland in January 2020
“It gave Jayden a chance to meet Br. Bryan Shortall after the novena on that night and Br. Bryan rang his colleague Br. Richard and he put Jayden onto him and they had a great chat.
“Brother Richard remembered the night well and he was delighted to hear from Jayden.
“We couldn’t forget what he did for us on that night when we thought all hope was gone and we send him a card every Christmas. We called in to meet him in Dublin one day afterwards but he had moved,” said Catheriona.
Jayden is now a healthy 14 year old and he plays hurling, football and soccer.
Opens a Petition Box
For its spectacular first night on January 7th. 2020 the Padre Pio Devotions attracted a standing room only crowd as people from all over the county and beyond converged on the church for the 7:30pm start.
There were people on crutches and with walking aids of all sorts ambling their way down Church Street or up from Garvey’s SuperValu and all with Padre Pio and his glove uppermost on their minds.
In the course of his evening devotions, Fr. Brick opens a petitions box and asks his vast audience for prayers and good thoughts for people with various illnesses whose challenging personal circumstances find their way into the box.
The Rosary a Central Feature
The rosary is also a central feature of the devotions with a guest reciting the decades and the congregations responding.
The programme of devotions from here to the end of the year is as follows: Tuesday, September 19th ; Tuesday, October 17th; Tuesday, November 21st and Tuesday, December 19th and, at the turn of the year, on January 16th – and all at 7:30pm.
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