The Apparitions to Padre Pio and the souls of Purgatory

The apparitions began already at an early age. Little Francesco did not talk about it because he believed that they were things that happened to all souls. The apparitions were of Angels, of Saints, of Jesus, of the Madonna, but at times, also of demons. In the last days of December 1902, while he was meditating on his vocation, Francis had a vision. Here is how he described it, several years later, to his confessor (in the letter he uses the third person): “Francesco saw at his side a majestic man of rare beauty, shining like the sun, who took him by the hand encouraged him with the precise invitation : "Come with me because you should fight as a brave warrior". He was led in a very spacious countryside, among a multitude of men divided into two groups: on the one hand men with a beautiful face and covered in white robes, as white as snow, on the other men of horrid appearance and dressed in FOTO1.jpg (3604 byte) black clothes like dark shadows. The young man placed between those two wings of spectators saw a man of immeasurable height come towards him, to touch the clouds with his forehead, with a hideous face. The resplendent character he had by his side urged him to fight the monstrous character. Francesco prayed to be spared the fury of the strange character, but the bright one did not accept: "Your resistance is in vain, with this it is better to fight". Take heart, enter confident in the struggle, boldly advance that I will be near you; I will help you and I will not allow him to bring you down. " The clash was accepted and turned out to be terrible. With the help of the luminous character always close, Francesco had the mallet and won. The monstrous character, forced to flee, dragged behind that great multitude of men of hideous appearance, amid screams, curses and cries to be stunned. The other multitude of men with a very vague appearance, gave voices of applause and praise to the one who had assisted poor Francesco, in such a bitter battle. The splendid and luminous personage more than the sun placed a crown of very rare beauty on Francesco's head, which it would be vain to describe. The crown was immediately withdrawn by the good person who specified: “I have another more beautiful one reserved for you. If you will be able to fight with that character with whom you have now fought. He will always return to the assault ...; fight as a valiant man and do not doubt in my help… do not be afraid of his harassment, do not fear his formidable presence…. I will be close to you, I will always help you, so that you can prostrate it. " This vision was followed, then, by real clashes with the evil one. In fact, Padre Pio sustained numerous clashes against the "enemy of souls" throughout his life, with the aim of snatching souls from Satan's snares.

One evening Padre Pio was resting in a room on the ground floor of the convent, used as a guesthouse. He was alone and had just stretched out on the cot when suddenly a man wrapped in a black cloak wheel appeared. Padre Pio, surprised, getting up, asked the man who he was and what he wanted. The stranger replied that he was a soul of Purgatory. “I am Pietro Di Mauro. I died in a fire, on September 18, 1908, in this convent used, after the expropriation of ecclesiastical goods, as a hospice for old people. I died in the flames, in my straw mattress, surprised in my sleep, right in this room. I come from Purgatory: the Lord has allowed me to come and ask you to apply your Holy Mass to me in the morning. Thanks to this Mass I will be able to enter Heaven ”. Padre Pio assured that he would apply his Mass to him ... but here are the words of Padre Pio: “I, I wanted to accompany him to the door of the convent. I fully realized that I had only spoken to a deceased when I went out into the churchyard, the man who was at my side suddenly disappeared ". I must confess that I went back to the convent somewhat frightened. To Father Paolino da Casacalenda, Superior of the convent, to whom my agitation had not escaped, I asked permission to celebrate Mass in suffrage of that soul, after, of course, having explained to him what had happened ”. A few days later, Father Paolino, intrigued, wanted to do some checks. going to the registry of the municipality of San Giovanni Rotondo, he requested and obtained permission to consult the register of the deceased in the year 1908. The story of Padre Pio corresponded to the truth. In the register relating to the deaths of the month of September, Father Paolino traced the name, surname and reason of death: "On September 18, 1908, Pietro di Mauro died in the fire of the hospice, he was Nicola".