ShopDreamUp AI ArtDreamUp
Deviation Actions
Padre Pio and his Friends from New York City: Mary Pyle
Adelia McAlpin (Mary) Pyle was born in New York City, New York on April 17, 1888 to James and Adelaide Pyle. Adelia, along with her four brothers and one sister had an aristocratic upbringing. Her father, James Pyle, had made a fortune in business and her mother Adelaide, was born into the wealthy McAlpin family of New York.
The Pyles enjoyed a privileged position in New York’s high society. Eight domestic workers were employed by the Pyles to care for their estate and see to all of the needs of the household. Their relatives included members of the famous Rockefeller family of New York.
James and Adelaide Pyle placed a high value on education and hired private tutors in order to provide the best learning environment for their children. In addition to private instruction, Adelia attended two excellent finishing schools. Adelia’s mother, Adelaide, had an appreciation of foreign languages and saw to it that the educational curriculum of her children included the study of languages. By the time Adelia was an adult, she had the advantage of being able to speak English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, and Latin.
A governess was employed to see to the needs of Adelia and her sister Sara. As a young woman, Adelia enjoyed singing, dancing, the theater, the opera, and the vast scope of cultural events that were available in New York City. She and her family frequently attended elegant parties and social gatherings hosted by New York’s wealthiest citizens.
When Adelia was twenty-four years old, she met Dr. Maria Montessori, the celebrated and highly respected Italian child educator. Adelia became very interested in her teaching methods for youth and began working for Dr. Montessori as her language interpreter. She worked and traveled throughout the world with the famous educator for the next ten years.
In her travels as Dr. Montessori’s interpreter, Adelia visited a number of Catholic shrines and cathedrals in Germany, France, and Spain and felt deeply edified. She converted to Catholicism when she was twenty-five years old and was baptized in Barcelona, Spain, taking the name Mary. Ever after she would be known as Mary.
The members of Mary’s family were devout Presbyterians and they were very disappointed that she had converted to Catholicism. Her mother, Adelaide, was so upset by her daughter’s new-found religion that she disinherited her and excluded her from the family fortune. Although she was hurt by her mother’s actions, Mary kept her composure and hoped that in time, they would be able to reconcile.
Mary longed to find a good spiritual director to assist her on her journey toward God. She made a novena to Our Lady of Pompeii with that intention while at the Church of the Gesù in Rome. It was not long after making the novena that Mary was to meet Padre Pio, who, as her spiritual director par excellence, would guide her spiritually for the rest of her life.
Mary and Dr. Montessori were taking a vacation on the Isle of Capri when Mary’s good friend, Rina Caterinici d’Ergin, invited her to travel to San Giovanni Rotondo to visit Padre Pio. Rina was thinking about converting to Catholicism and wanted to talk to Padre Pio about it. At first, Mary was not interested in making the trip. However, after giving the matter more thought, she changed her mind and agreed to go with Rina.
San Giovanni Rotondo, at the time of Mary and Rina’s visit, was a remote and impoverished village in a desolate country. Located in the southern part of Italy, it seemed to be cut off from the rest of the world. Conditions were primitive, as there was no electricity or running water. Surrounded by rugged mountains, the monastery of Our Lady of Grace was one of the poorest and most isolated of the monasteries in its Capuchin province. It was also one of the oldest. It had been home to the Capuchins since 1540.
Mary and Rina attended Padre Pio’s Mass in the little 16th century church of Our Lady of Grace. There were a number of local people in attendance, mostly farmers dressed in their work clothes, ready for a long day’s work in the fields.
Mary and Rina were profoundly moved by the beauty of Padre Pio’s Mass. Later, they were able to speak to him in the sacristy of the church. The date was Oct 4, 1923, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Mary was thirty-five years old. During their conversation, Mary had the impression that Padre Pio’s penetrating eyes were looking “right into her soul.” She described her encounter with Padre Pio by saying, “At first, we just looked at each other. Then I fell to my knees and said, “Father.” He placed his wounded hand on my head and said, “My child, stop traveling around. Stay here.” To Rina, who asked him if she should convert to Catholicism, his answer was a definite “yes.”
For the duration of the time that Mary was in San Giovanni Rotondo, a feeling of sadness nagged at her heart. She knew that it would soon be time to go back to work with Dr. Montessori but the idea of leaving Padre Pio and the spiritual atmosphere that seemed to pervade the area was very painful to her. She was not able to sleep at night thinking that her visit would soon be coming to an end.
When it was time to leave, Mary reluctantly said goodbye to Padre Pio. She explained that she had to go back to her job as Dr. Montessori’s assistant. But Padre Pio was not pleased. “Who is Dr. Montessori that she should call you away? You must remain here,” he said adamantly. But Mary could not stay any longer.
When Mary resumed her work, she continued to think about all that she had experienced in San Giovanni Rotondo. One day she said to Dr. Montessori, “There is a living saint in this world and it saddens me not to be near him.” Mary explained that she had a great desire to return to San Giovanni Rotondo and she asked her employer to accompany her. Dr. Montessori agreed to go with her.
On her second visit to the monastery, Mary felt the same strong attraction to San Giovanni Rotondo that she had previously felt. She spoke to Padre Pio and once again he encouraged her to stay. Mary listened to her heart and finally made the decision to stay permanently. She and Dr. Montessori then made plans to go to Rome to collect the belongings that Mary would need in her new residence. As they were about to board the bus, a strange sensation came over Mary. She felt as though her legs were paralyzed and she was unable to climb up the steps of the bus. “What’s the matter?” Dr. Montessori asked her. “I don’t know,” Mary said. “I feel as if my feet were nailed to the ground. I cannot get on the bus.” The bus pulled away without Mary. She was never to see Dr. Montessori again.
Mary found lodging in the town of San Giovanni Rotondo which was approximately two miles away from the monastery of Our Lady of Grace. There was one dusty road, a mule track, which was steep and very difficult to travel, that lead from the town to the monastery. Mary walked the two miles every day to attend Padre Pio’s Mass. An occasional traveler was seen on the road in a wagon or riding a donkey or a mule. Shepherds and their flocks dotted the barren hills, and in the distance the bells of goats and sheep could be heard.
It was not easy to walk the mule track every day, especially when the weather was bad. Mary decided it would be better to live closer to the church and had a house built 100 meters down the hill, just below the Capuchin monastery. When the construction was completed, Padre Pio came the short distance to bless Mary’s house. It was one of the first houses to be built in the area.
Mary painted her house pink and from her window she could look out on the almond groves, the stony fields and the olive trees of the Gargano. Mary found the wide, desert-like expanses restful to her spirit, filling her with a great sense of peace. The stark landscape had a beauty all its own. Mary wrote a letter to her family about her new life and new residence. She said: "I am really happy. I have found living in this deserted place . . . that there is another life, one that is worth living without care or preoccupation. I have found that more than the flesh must be fed; the spirit must also be fed, and nothing feeds the spirit more than prayer. There lives here in a cold and small monastery, a competitor of Saint Francis of Assisi, who is named Padre Pio, and his hands and feet are pierced with the stigmata. Every morning he celebrates Mass before sunrise, when the peasants begin to go to work in the fields. All his daily life is an example of humility and dedication to his Lord . . . I feel as if I have always been here . . . Only the homesickness for you affects my heart . . "
From time to time, Padre Pio would tease Mary about her elegant clothing. Taking his comments to heart, she began to divest herself of her expensive jewelry and her beautiful clothes. She felt a great sense of freedom, living with few material possessions. Later, when she reflected on her years as a New York socialite and the wealth and luxury that was a part of her upbringing, she regarded it as a kind of slavery. She was happy to be free of it.
Soon after moving to San Giovanni Rotondo, at the encouragement of Padre Pio, Mary joined the Third Order of Saint Francis. Padre Pio, who was the spiritual director of the congregation, presided at her initiation. He placed the brown scapular over her shoulders, gave her the Franciscan cord, and wrote the religious name she had chosen, Pia, in the Franciscan enrollment book. Eventually Mary would become the novice mistress of the Third Order. With the permission of the Capuchins, she was allowed to wear the plain brown Capuchin robe, cord, and sandals and was never to be seen in secular clothing again.
Mary wrote a beautiful and thought-provoking meditation regarding her new life in San Giovanni Rotondo. She said:
"Everything is so extraordinary in this mystical corner of the world, in this school for souls, where the healer, teacher and father, Padre Pio, is preparing a net of souls in order to encircle the entire world, fishing for souls for Jesus. He calls them forth with his vibrant voice and with his suffering . . . He calls them with the waves of his perfume, or that of various flowers . . . How lucky for me to have met with the greatest saint, since Saint Francis."
Mary’s brother, David Pyle made a trip to San Giovanni Rotondo to visit her. Seeing the stark poverty of the area, when he returned to the United States, he reported everything to his mother. He told his mother that Mary was living the lifestyle of a common peasant and that something had to be done about it.
Adelaide Pyle decided to visit Mary and try to convince her to return home. She made the long journey to San Giovanni Rotondo but her efforts to bring Mary back home proved to be futile. She had no choice but to accept the decision that her daughter had made.
Adelaide met Padre Pio and had a favorable impression of him. Mary and her mother were able to reconcile their differences and Adelaide came to accept Mary’s conversion to Catholicism. She decided to once again include Mary as an heir of the family fortune and Mary’s income was reinstated.
Mary learned that a number of the local townspeople in San Giovanni Rotondo possessed a great treasure; they had in their possession, letters that Padre Pio had written to them. Mary asked if she could borrow the letters and transcribe them into a notebook and they were happy to let her do so. She knew how important it would be to preserve the letters so that they could be shared with others. Mary felt the beneficial effects of meditating on the sublime thoughts contained in Padre Pio’s letters as she read and reread them.
Mary had read the beautiful meditations that Padre Pio had written - The Agony of Jesus in the Garden and The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. She was aware of the profound nature of both of these writings and had great desire to see them published. She wanted them to be available to everyone and was determined to make it a reality. She asked Padre Pio for his permission to have the two meditations published and he agreed to it. Mary had the financial resources to pay for all of the publishing costs. Nevertheless, she encountered one obstacle after another. Through persistence and patience, Mary pressed on and in time, both of the meditations were published.
In addition to the transcription of Padre Pio’s letters, Mary also began to transcribe his conversations with the visitors that came to see him. Often Padre Pio would write a short meditation on the back of a holy card and give it to his guests. Mary was able to copy down, word for word, the short meditations that Padre Pio penned. Eventually, she filled two thick notebooks with his words, prayers and letters. She also recorded testimonials from his spiritual children regarding the many graces and miracles they received through his intercession.
Mary became very close to Padre Pio’s parents, Giuseppa and Grazio Forgione. She asked them to share their memories with her of Padre Pio’s childhood and they were very happy to do so. She carefully transcribed many of the precious stories of Padre Pio’s early years into her notebooks.
Shortly after Mary moved to San Giovanni Rotondo, Padre Pio told her that the church was in need of an organist and asked her if she would be willing to assume the responsibility. Mary had received a fine musical education in New York. She loved music and had a well-trained and beautiful singing voice. She recalled that in her youth, her family possessed no less than three concert pianos. Although Mary did not know how to play the organ, she quickly learned. She became the official organist for Our Lady of Grace church and provided the music for Padre Pio’s masses.
Mary left a beautiful recollection of Padre Pio’s Mass. She wrote:
"As always, his hands during Mass were without mittens and even though he keeps the sleeves pulled down as much as possible, we can see the holy stigmata when he raises his hands to say, “Dominus Vobiscum.” His hands during Mass seem to be made of ivory - white and transparent, of a supernatural beauty. They really seem transparent, with dark pink nails, almost red, as if the tips of those white fingers had been put in the chalice - as if they had touched the Divine Blood.
During the prayer for the living, which lasts a long time, there is a profound silence. His body moves a little, he prays, he is with Christ. Then he continues with a small, strange voice which seems to come from afar, almost as if his spirit had been outside the body during those moments. During Mass, his face matches his voice. Padre Pio is not with us during that time; he is with God . . . His heart must have two doors, one for God and the other for men. When the door to God is open, the door to the world is closed, and when the door to the world is opened, the one to Heaven is closed momentarily. During Mass, Padre Pio has the door to Heaven opened, and one can almost feel the grace of God coming down over him. Afterward, in the sacristy when everyone goes to him to kiss his hands and ask him for graces, he opens wide the door of his heart to the world and one feels a river of love and warmth coming from his heart to heal physical and moral ills, to console those who suffer . . . Then he returns to the confessional where he stays for hours at a time with those hands touched by God, resting on the little window of the confessional . . ."
Mary organized and directed a ladies’ choir which she named the Scola Cantorum. Every Sunday afternoon the ladies met at Mary’s house for choir practice. Accompanied by Mary on the portable pump organ, the Scola Cantorum sang at all of the masses at the monastery as well as at other religious celebrations and special functions. Mary and the Scola Cantorum were present every day at 4:00 p.m. in the church to lead the sacred hymns for the Vespers prayer service. Padre Pio and his entire religious community attended Vespers and Benediction every afternoon.
On December 5, 1928, Giuseppa Forgione, Padre Pio’s mother, came to Mary’s house to spend the Christmas season. Giuseppa, who lived in Pietrelcina, was not able to travel to San Giovanni Rotondo very often and she was looking forward to being with Mary and also seeing her son and attending his daily Mass. The weather was particularly cold that winter. Giuseppa walked up the steep hill from Mary’s house to the monastery to attend the Christmas Midnight Mass and caught a chill. Soon she came down with double pneumonia. Despite Mary’s excellent care, Giuseppa’s condition deteriorated rapidly.
Padre Pio was informed of Giuseppa’s serious condition. To be near his mother, Padre Pio, accompanied by Padre Raffaele, stayed for two days at Mary’s house. Padre Pio remained at his mother’s bedside, praying and lovingly assisting her. Those who were nearby saw blood flowing down his fingers from the wounds of the stigmata. When it became evident that his mother’s end was near, he gave her the Last Rites. When Giuseppa passed away, Padre Pio wept inconsolably. He was so grief stricken that he could not attend her funeral and it took many days for him to regain his composure.
Mary also took care of Padre Pio’s father, Grazio Forgione in his later years. When Grazio was eighty years old, he asked Mary if he could stay in her home. His great desire was to be near Padre Pio and to attend his Mass each morning at the monastery. Mary felt it a privilege to have Grazio as a member of her busy household and he lived with her for the last eight years of his life. Mary gave Grazio all the care and loving attention that she would have given to her own father. Padre Pio visited Grazio when he was able to and remained at his bedside in his final illness.
Mary was often called to the monastery to act as translator between Padre Pio and his foreign-speaking guests. Angelina Serritelli, a resident of San Giovanni Rotondo, called upon Mary on one occasion for assistance. Angelina had a niece who was coming from the United States to receive her first Holy Communion from Padre Pio. She was going to make her first confession the day before her first Holy Communion. The girl spoke no Italian and Padre Pio spoke no English. Angelina, knowing the problem of the language barrier, entrusted the matter to Mary. As she had done under similar circumstances, Mary accompanied the girl to the confessional and told Padre Pio that she would act as translator for the confession. “It is not necessary,” Padre Pio said to Mary.
Mary left the two alone, yet wondered how the confession would be possible under the circumstances. Afterward, Mary asked the young girl if the language barrier had posed much of a problem. “It was no problem at all,” she told Mary. “In what language did Padre Pio speak to you?” Mary asked. The girl explained that he spoke to her in English. He also understood everything that she had said to him in English. Mary marveled at the girl’s words. Padre Pio had never studied English. He neither spoke nor understood English, but he did on that particular day.
Both big and little miracles occurred when Padre Pio was nearby and Mary counted herself extremely fortunate to be a witness to so many of them. Padre Pio often said that his guardian angel assisted him in understanding and speaking foreign languages.
Once, a woman who made her confession to Padre Pio shared her experience with Mary. During the confession, she mentioned that she was worried about a friend. She asked Padre Pio if perhaps he had some words of counsel for her friend that she could relay to her when she returned home. Padre Pio gave the woman a message to give to her friend but his words seemed very harsh. She determined at once that she would never share the message. Mary said to the woman, “If Padre Pio told you to do something, I recommend that you do it. Otherwise, why would you seek his advice?” The woman took Mary’s counsel and relayed the message. Her friend experienced a deep conversion of heart upon hearing Padre Pio’s words.
As more and more people learned of Padre Pio, the number of letters received by the monastery each day continued to increase. The Capuchins found it impossible to keep up with the mail. Mary’s command of six languages proved to be of great benefit. She was asked to answer the foreign correspondence that was coming in from many parts of the world. Given all of her other duties, it was a challenge for Mary to take on this daunting task. For many years, she performed this work almost single-handedly and for a period of time, she was the only person in San Giovanni Rotondo who had the ability to read and answer the German language correspondence.
The mail was organized and sorted according to language. Mary would read and answer every letter, always including in her reply that Padre Pio sent his blessing. It was true. Padre Pio sent his blessing to every person who wrote to him. He had such confidence in Mary that he could entrust the correspondence to her with the certainty that her words were a reflection of his own.
It is interesting to note that the excellent education Mary received in New York, with an emphasis on music and foreign languages, was exactly suited to the work that was asked of her in San Giovanni Rotondo. Later, when Padre Pio’s hospital, the Home for the Relief of Suffering opened its doors, she also assisted with the hospital’s bookkeeping and accounting work.
Mary invited four devout women of the area to come and be a part of her household. These dedicated women helped her in her many good works. Along with Mary, they washed and ironed the altar linens for the church and they laundered Padre Pio’s shirts as well. On occasion, they perceived a beautiful perfume when they washed Padre Pio’s clothing.
Mary rose at 4:00 a.m. every morning to prepare for Padre Pio’s early morning Mass. She and the women who lived with her followed the prayer schedule of the Capuchins as closely as possible and incorporated it into their own daily routine. Their prayers were said at the same time that the Capuchins said their prayers each day at the monastery. Prayer, work, and service to God were to be the outstanding characteristics of Mary’s life.
Mary was asked to take over the work of making the communion hosts for the masses at Our Lady of Grace. She felt this work to be a particular privilege and from her own kitchen made the hosts which were needed in great quantities. She also organized a missionary workshop in her home where the young women who lived in the area would gather together regularly to sew. The handmade clothing and vestments were sent to the Capuchin missions in foreign countries. Mary also directed dramatic plays, the proceeds of which were given to benefit the foreign missions.
When Mary was told that Padre Pio’s hometown of Pietrelcina was in need of a church and seminary for the Capuchin friars who lived there, she told Padre Pio that she wanted to provide the needed money for the project. Padre Pio was very happy to give his consent and told her to begin the plans immediately. He chose the name “Holy Family” for the new foundation.
Mary’s great esteem and respect for Padre Pio increased as the years went by. She said that she observed not one Padre Pio, but seven. She said, “I see Padre Pio the priest, the simple Italian man from Pietrelcina, the mystic, the confessor, the shepherd of souls, the wonder worker, and the helper of the poor and the sick through the Home for the Relief of Suffering. So there is not only one Padre Pio, but actually seven.”
In the early days, when pilgrims came to San Giovanni Rotondo to attend Padre Pio’s Mass, there were few accommodations. People who wanted to stay for more than a day sometimes had to sleep outside in the open air. There were no restaurants, hotels or motels. Mary’s door was always open to provide a hot meal for the weary traveler. It was not unusual for Mary to have fifteen, twenty or even thirty people seated at her table for the main meal of the day.
There were also many poor people living in San Giovanni Rotondo at that time who came to Mary’s door in a continuous stream, asking for help of one kind or another. Food was always available for the hungry and no one in need was ever turned away. Mary’s immense charity knew no boundaries. But it was not only the poor who knocked on Mary’s door. She was also visited by well-known doctors, government officials, scientists, lawyers, representatives from the Vatican, bishops, artists, military officers and more. Descendants of royalty, as well as several high-profile American movie stars also visited Mary, all drawn to San Giovanni Rotondo by their devotion to Padre Pio.
Assisting Padre Pio and greeting the pilgrims who visited him kept Mary in constant motion, yet she was always ready and willing to do more. She said, “I should be happy to be the nail of Padre Pio’s little finger.”
When Mary thought about the future, she sometimes worried about what might become of her house when she was no longer able to live and work in it. She spoke to Padre Pio about her concern. “Do not worry,” he said. “Even if your house were to fall to the ground, it would be rebuilt stone by stone for a beautiful and holy purpose.”
Mary walked to town regularly to visit and care for the sick in the area. She also had a special love in her heart for children and provided financial assistance to the orphanage in San Giovanni Rotondo. She taught the local children their catechism, preparing them for their first Holy Communion. For the families who could not afford it, Mary paid for their children’s first Holy Communion clothing. She encouraged the boys in her catechism classes to consider a vocation to the priesthood. To Mary’s great joy, a number of her students applied to the seminary. Mary paid for the seminary education of at least ten young men who completed their studies and became priests.
On one occasion, when Padre Pio was giving his blessing to a group of people, a number of those who were gathered began to crowd around him. Mary stepped to the back and let everyone else go in front of her. Padre Pio noticed what she had done and said, “Maria, come here. Come to the front. You must be the first because you have done so much good for everyone!” He was very much aware of her many good works and was especially appreciative of all that she had done for his parents.
Mary’s mother Adelaide, came to San Giovanni Rotondo on occasion to visit her daughter. She always enjoyed seeing Padre Pio when she visited and the two shared a wonderful rapport. Adelaide used to tell Mary that she felt Padre Pio’s presence with her on many occasions and while traveling in different parts of the world. Mary spoke to Padre Pio about her mother’s words and asked him if it was true. “I go to her continually,” was his response.
As Adelaide grew older, it became more and more difficult for her to make the long trip to San Giovanni Rotondo. On one of her last visits, she said to Mary “I know I cannot make the journey again. This is the last time we will ever see each other.” Padre Pio was present when Adelaide made the statement and he said to her, “I hope that we will see you again but if we do not meet again on this earth, we will all be reunited in Heaven.”
Mary kept her U.S. citizenship when she moved to San Giovanni Rotondo. At the beginning of World War II, U.S. citizens and other non-Italian citizens living in Italy were feared to be spies who conceivably might be collecting information that could be harmful to Italy. Non-citizens were customarily sent to other locations and considered as political prisoners. Mary was summoned by the police commissioner and given ten days to leave San Giovanni Rotondo.
The Capuchins spoke to the authorities in Mary’s favor. Through a special arrangement and much to her relief, the orders stipulated that Mary was to go to Pietrelcina. The date was December 27, 1941. She stayed in Pietrelcina for almost two years, living with Padre Pio’s family. Mary attended to her prayers, spiritual reading, the Divine Office and daily Mass, living her vocation as a Third Order Franciscan in an exemplary way. In October of 1943, Mary was allowed to once again return to San Giovanni Rotondo.
Mary, who did not want to attempt to make the trip back to San Giovanni Rotondo alone, asked one of the townspeople of Pietrelcina to accompany her. The man had a mule and cart which were used for the two-day journey. One of the residents of Pietrelcina baked a chocolate cake and asked Mary to deliver it to Padre Pio. Because of the short supply of many products during war times, chocolate at that time was a rare and highly-prized food item.
After traveling for several hours, Mary and her companion came to a bridge that had collapsed during a military bombing. They realized it would be impossible to get the cart across the river. They had to leave the cart and mule in the care of a local farmer and walk the rest of the way to Foggia. It took them many hours to get there. Once in Foggia, they were able to get a ride with an American soldier who was headed in the direction of San Giovanni Rotondo. When he dropped Mary and her companion off at a crossroads, he had the audacity to grab the chocolate cake as he pulled away.The last stretch of the journey was an uphill walk which took six hours to complete. Mary’s eyes filled with tears when the Capuchin church as well as her pink house came into view. It was good to be home!
Mary was anxious to get back to work and to resume the life she had been living before being sent to Pietrelcina. There were no other desires in her heart. Upon her return, Padre Pio said to her, “I have done the best for your soul.”
World War II would continue its path of destruction for several more years and it was during this period that hundreds of American and Allied soldiers, stationed at military bases near San Giovanni Rotondo, made their way to Padre Pio’s monastery and to Mary’s house.
The American soldiers described Mary as having all of the wonderful qualities of a loving mother. She radiated happiness to everyone she came in contact with. The soldiers enjoyed many home cooked meals at her house. Most of them knew very little about Padre Pio. Mary shared stories of Padre Pio with everyone. Mary once said, “The world will someday be surprised to find out who Padre Pio really was.” She escorted many of the soldiers to the monastery to meet Padre Pio and for those who did not speak Italian, she acted as translator. Attending Padre Pio’s Mass proved to be a life-changing experience for a number of the military men and many experienced a deep conversion back to their faith.
After the war ended, when the American soldiers returned to their homes, they told their friends and relatives about the saintly priest who lived in the far away monastery in southern Italy. Many of the American G.I.’s remained in contact with Mary through letters.
Through the years, Mary worked for Padre Pio diligently, steadily, loyally. Once when she voiced a complaint to Padre Pio about the Home for the Relief of Suffering, he said to her, “Don’t criticize the hospital, Mary. It will be where you will spend your last days on earth.” His words proved to be accurate. Mary’s devotion to Padre Pio was so great that she could not imagine life without him. Once she said to Padre Pio, “What will I do when you are gone?” He answered her, “You will be there to greet me,” indicating to Mary that she would precede him in death.
The last years of Mary’s life were marked by a steady decline in health. She was coming to the end of her earthly journey. She developed a heart condition and due to several strokes, lost the use of her legs. She bore her prolonged sufferings with patience and even though ill and bedridden, she remained an apostle of Padre Pio. She continued to do a great deal of good, even from her sickbed. Pilgrims and visitors to San Giovanni Rotondo still knocked on Mary’s door. They were ushered into her bedroom, where she was happy to receive each one. Just like she had done for so many years, she told the pilgrims stories about Padre Pio. She once said, “I do not wish to be without Padre Pio either on earth or in Heaven.” Mary still had her beautiful smile and her gracious attitude. Nevertheless, it was hard for her to be inactive. One day she said to Padre Pio, “Of what use am I, now that I can do nothing?” Padre Pio answered, “You can do the will of God.”
During Easter week of 1968, Mary made her confession to Padre Pio. She stated that she had never before seen him looking as he did on that day. His appearance, she said, reminded her of Jesus. Mary knew that Padre Pio, deeply united to Jesus, was also united to the sufferings of His Passion. As Good Friday approached, Mary observed that Padre Pio seemed to take on the very appearance of Jesus. Shortly after Easter, Mary suffered another stroke and was taken to the Home for the Relief of Suffering. She was eighty years old. Padre Pio was informed that her end was near and was asked if he wanted to visit her in the hospital. He was very ill at the time and was not able to leave the monastery. He said, “Physically, I am unable to visit her. But I shall pray to the Lord that he take her to Paradise with the angels.” He paused a moment and then added, “Mary will finally be able to listen to the angels without having to play the organ.”
Mary died in the Home for the Relief of Suffering on April 26, 1968. She had lived in San Giovanni Rotondo and served Padre Pio’s work for forty-five years. Charitable to the end, one of the last acts of her life was to provide the funds for some of the pressing needs of the Holy Family Seminary in Pietrelcina. She left her earthly estate to the Capuchins at the monastery of Our Lady of Grace. Padre Pio said of Mary, “She was always very religious and the Lord knows how to give a just reward to those who have earned it.” Padre Pio was to pass away just five months later, on September 23.
Mary was buried in the Capuchin Chapel in the cemetery in San Giovanni Rotondo where the Capuchin priests and brothers were laid to rest. Also buried there were Padre Pio’s father and mother, Grazio and Giuseppa Forgione, his brother Michael Forgione, and his beloved spiritual director and friend, Padre Agostino Daniele.
The Capuchin friars of Our Lady of Grace monastery held Mary in the highest esteem. They had the following words inscribed on her tomb:
Adelia Maria Pyle - Full of charity and of seraphic virtues, may you remain eternally in the memory of Pietrelcina, where you donated a monastery, of San Giovanni Rotondo, where you were admired as a docile spiritual daughter of Padre Pio.
Adelia McAlpin (Mary) Pyle was born in New York City, New York on April 17, 1888 to James and Adelaide Pyle. Adelia, along with her four brothers and one sister had an aristocratic upbringing. Her father, James Pyle, had made a fortune in business and her mother Adelaide, was born into the wealthy McAlpin family of New York.
The Pyles enjoyed a privileged position in New York’s high society. Eight domestic workers were employed by the Pyles to care for their estate and see to all of the needs of the household. Their relatives included members of the famous Rockefeller family of New York.
James and Adelaide Pyle placed a high value on education and hired private tutors in order to provide the best learning environment for their children. In addition to private instruction, Adelia attended two excellent finishing schools. Adelia’s mother, Adelaide, had an appreciation of foreign languages and saw to it that the educational curriculum of her children included the study of languages. By the time Adelia was an adult, she had the advantage of being able to speak English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, and Latin.
A governess was employed to see to the needs of Adelia and her sister Sara. As a young woman, Adelia enjoyed singing, dancing, the theater, the opera, and the vast scope of cultural events that were available in New York City. She and her family frequently attended elegant parties and social gatherings hosted by New York’s wealthiest citizens.
When Adelia was twenty-four years old, she met Dr. Maria Montessori, the celebrated and highly respected Italian child educator. Adelia became very interested in her teaching methods for youth and began working for Dr. Montessori as her language interpreter. She worked and traveled throughout the world with the famous educator for the next ten years.
In her travels as Dr. Montessori’s interpreter, Adelia visited a number of Catholic shrines and cathedrals in Germany, France, and Spain and felt deeply edified. She converted to Catholicism when she was twenty-five years old and was baptized in Barcelona, Spain, taking the name Mary. Ever after she would be known as Mary.
The members of Mary’s family were devout Presbyterians and they were very disappointed that she had converted to Catholicism. Her mother, Adelaide, was so upset by her daughter’s new-found religion that she disinherited her and excluded her from the family fortune. Although she was hurt by her mother’s actions, Mary kept her composure and hoped that in time, they would be able to reconcile.
Mary longed to find a good spiritual director to assist her on her journey toward God. She made a novena to Our Lady of Pompeii with that intention while at the Church of the Gesù in Rome. It was not long after making the novena that Mary was to meet Padre Pio, who, as her spiritual director par excellence, would guide her spiritually for the rest of her life.
Mary and Dr. Montessori were taking a vacation on the Isle of Capri when Mary’s good friend, Rina Caterinici d’Ergin, invited her to travel to San Giovanni Rotondo to visit Padre Pio. Rina was thinking about converting to Catholicism and wanted to talk to Padre Pio about it. At first, Mary was not interested in making the trip. However, after giving the matter more thought, she changed her mind and agreed to go with Rina.
San Giovanni Rotondo, at the time of Mary and Rina’s visit, was a remote and impoverished village in a desolate country. Located in the southern part of Italy, it seemed to be cut off from the rest of the world. Conditions were primitive, as there was no electricity or running water. Surrounded by rugged mountains, the monastery of Our Lady of Grace was one of the poorest and most isolated of the monasteries in its Capuchin province. It was also one of the oldest. It had been home to the Capuchins since 1540.
Mary and Rina attended Padre Pio’s Mass in the little 16th century church of Our Lady of Grace. There were a number of local people in attendance, mostly farmers dressed in their work clothes, ready for a long day’s work in the fields.
Mary and Rina were profoundly moved by the beauty of Padre Pio’s Mass. Later, they were able to speak to him in the sacristy of the church. The date was Oct 4, 1923, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Mary was thirty-five years old. During their conversation, Mary had the impression that Padre Pio’s penetrating eyes were looking “right into her soul.” She described her encounter with Padre Pio by saying, “At first, we just looked at each other. Then I fell to my knees and said, “Father.” He placed his wounded hand on my head and said, “My child, stop traveling around. Stay here.” To Rina, who asked him if she should convert to Catholicism, his answer was a definite “yes.”
For the duration of the time that Mary was in San Giovanni Rotondo, a feeling of sadness nagged at her heart. She knew that it would soon be time to go back to work with Dr. Montessori but the idea of leaving Padre Pio and the spiritual atmosphere that seemed to pervade the area was very painful to her. She was not able to sleep at night thinking that her visit would soon be coming to an end.
When it was time to leave, Mary reluctantly said goodbye to Padre Pio. She explained that she had to go back to her job as Dr. Montessori’s assistant. But Padre Pio was not pleased. “Who is Dr. Montessori that she should call you away? You must remain here,” he said adamantly. But Mary could not stay any longer.
When Mary resumed her work, she continued to think about all that she had experienced in San Giovanni Rotondo. One day she said to Dr. Montessori, “There is a living saint in this world and it saddens me not to be near him.” Mary explained that she had a great desire to return to San Giovanni Rotondo and she asked her employer to accompany her. Dr. Montessori agreed to go with her.
On her second visit to the monastery, Mary felt the same strong attraction to San Giovanni Rotondo that she had previously felt. She spoke to Padre Pio and once again he encouraged her to stay. Mary listened to her heart and finally made the decision to stay permanently. She and Dr. Montessori then made plans to go to Rome to collect the belongings that Mary would need in her new residence. As they were about to board the bus, a strange sensation came over Mary. She felt as though her legs were paralyzed and she was unable to climb up the steps of the bus. “What’s the matter?” Dr. Montessori asked her. “I don’t know,” Mary said. “I feel as if my feet were nailed to the ground. I cannot get on the bus.” The bus pulled away without Mary. She was never to see Dr. Montessori again.
Mary found lodging in the town of San Giovanni Rotondo which was approximately two miles away from the monastery of Our Lady of Grace. There was one dusty road, a mule track, which was steep and very difficult to travel, that lead from the town to the monastery. Mary walked the two miles every day to attend Padre Pio’s Mass. An occasional traveler was seen on the road in a wagon or riding a donkey or a mule. Shepherds and their flocks dotted the barren hills, and in the distance the bells of goats and sheep could be heard.
It was not easy to walk the mule track every day, especially when the weather was bad. Mary decided it would be better to live closer to the church and had a house built 100 meters down the hill, just below the Capuchin monastery. When the construction was completed, Padre Pio came the short distance to bless Mary’s house. It was one of the first houses to be built in the area.
Mary painted her house pink and from her window she could look out on the almond groves, the stony fields and the olive trees of the Gargano. Mary found the wide, desert-like expanses restful to her spirit, filling her with a great sense of peace. The stark landscape had a beauty all its own. Mary wrote a letter to her family about her new life and new residence. She said: "I am really happy. I have found living in this deserted place . . . that there is another life, one that is worth living without care or preoccupation. I have found that more than the flesh must be fed; the spirit must also be fed, and nothing feeds the spirit more than prayer. There lives here in a cold and small monastery, a competitor of Saint Francis of Assisi, who is named Padre Pio, and his hands and feet are pierced with the stigmata. Every morning he celebrates Mass before sunrise, when the peasants begin to go to work in the fields. All his daily life is an example of humility and dedication to his Lord . . . I feel as if I have always been here . . . Only the homesickness for you affects my heart . . "
From time to time, Padre Pio would tease Mary about her elegant clothing. Taking his comments to heart, she began to divest herself of her expensive jewelry and her beautiful clothes. She felt a great sense of freedom, living with few material possessions. Later, when she reflected on her years as a New York socialite and the wealth and luxury that was a part of her upbringing, she regarded it as a kind of slavery. She was happy to be free of it.
Soon after moving to San Giovanni Rotondo, at the encouragement of Padre Pio, Mary joined the Third Order of Saint Francis. Padre Pio, who was the spiritual director of the congregation, presided at her initiation. He placed the brown scapular over her shoulders, gave her the Franciscan cord, and wrote the religious name she had chosen, Pia, in the Franciscan enrollment book. Eventually Mary would become the novice mistress of the Third Order. With the permission of the Capuchins, she was allowed to wear the plain brown Capuchin robe, cord, and sandals and was never to be seen in secular clothing again.
Mary wrote a beautiful and thought-provoking meditation regarding her new life in San Giovanni Rotondo. She said:
"Everything is so extraordinary in this mystical corner of the world, in this school for souls, where the healer, teacher and father, Padre Pio, is preparing a net of souls in order to encircle the entire world, fishing for souls for Jesus. He calls them forth with his vibrant voice and with his suffering . . . He calls them with the waves of his perfume, or that of various flowers . . . How lucky for me to have met with the greatest saint, since Saint Francis."
Mary’s brother, David Pyle made a trip to San Giovanni Rotondo to visit her. Seeing the stark poverty of the area, when he returned to the United States, he reported everything to his mother. He told his mother that Mary was living the lifestyle of a common peasant and that something had to be done about it.
Adelaide Pyle decided to visit Mary and try to convince her to return home. She made the long journey to San Giovanni Rotondo but her efforts to bring Mary back home proved to be futile. She had no choice but to accept the decision that her daughter had made.
Adelaide met Padre Pio and had a favorable impression of him. Mary and her mother were able to reconcile their differences and Adelaide came to accept Mary’s conversion to Catholicism. She decided to once again include Mary as an heir of the family fortune and Mary’s income was reinstated.
Mary learned that a number of the local townspeople in San Giovanni Rotondo possessed a great treasure; they had in their possession, letters that Padre Pio had written to them. Mary asked if she could borrow the letters and transcribe them into a notebook and they were happy to let her do so. She knew how important it would be to preserve the letters so that they could be shared with others. Mary felt the beneficial effects of meditating on the sublime thoughts contained in Padre Pio’s letters as she read and reread them.
Mary had read the beautiful meditations that Padre Pio had written - The Agony of Jesus in the Garden and The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. She was aware of the profound nature of both of these writings and had great desire to see them published. She wanted them to be available to everyone and was determined to make it a reality. She asked Padre Pio for his permission to have the two meditations published and he agreed to it. Mary had the financial resources to pay for all of the publishing costs. Nevertheless, she encountered one obstacle after another. Through persistence and patience, Mary pressed on and in time, both of the meditations were published.
In addition to the transcription of Padre Pio’s letters, Mary also began to transcribe his conversations with the visitors that came to see him. Often Padre Pio would write a short meditation on the back of a holy card and give it to his guests. Mary was able to copy down, word for word, the short meditations that Padre Pio penned. Eventually, she filled two thick notebooks with his words, prayers and letters. She also recorded testimonials from his spiritual children regarding the many graces and miracles they received through his intercession.
Mary became very close to Padre Pio’s parents, Giuseppa and Grazio Forgione. She asked them to share their memories with her of Padre Pio’s childhood and they were very happy to do so. She carefully transcribed many of the precious stories of Padre Pio’s early years into her notebooks.
Shortly after Mary moved to San Giovanni Rotondo, Padre Pio told her that the church was in need of an organist and asked her if she would be willing to assume the responsibility. Mary had received a fine musical education in New York. She loved music and had a well-trained and beautiful singing voice. She recalled that in her youth, her family possessed no less than three concert pianos. Although Mary did not know how to play the organ, she quickly learned. She became the official organist for Our Lady of Grace church and provided the music for Padre Pio’s masses.
Mary left a beautiful recollection of Padre Pio’s Mass. She wrote:
"As always, his hands during Mass were without mittens and even though he keeps the sleeves pulled down as much as possible, we can see the holy stigmata when he raises his hands to say, “Dominus Vobiscum.” His hands during Mass seem to be made of ivory - white and transparent, of a supernatural beauty. They really seem transparent, with dark pink nails, almost red, as if the tips of those white fingers had been put in the chalice - as if they had touched the Divine Blood.
During the prayer for the living, which lasts a long time, there is a profound silence. His body moves a little, he prays, he is with Christ. Then he continues with a small, strange voice which seems to come from afar, almost as if his spirit had been outside the body during those moments. During Mass, his face matches his voice. Padre Pio is not with us during that time; he is with God . . . His heart must have two doors, one for God and the other for men. When the door to God is open, the door to the world is closed, and when the door to the world is opened, the one to Heaven is closed momentarily. During Mass, Padre Pio has the door to Heaven opened, and one can almost feel the grace of God coming down over him. Afterward, in the sacristy when everyone goes to him to kiss his hands and ask him for graces, he opens wide the door of his heart to the world and one feels a river of love and warmth coming from his heart to heal physical and moral ills, to console those who suffer . . . Then he returns to the confessional where he stays for hours at a time with those hands touched by God, resting on the little window of the confessional . . ."
Mary organized and directed a ladies’ choir which she named the Scola Cantorum. Every Sunday afternoon the ladies met at Mary’s house for choir practice. Accompanied by Mary on the portable pump organ, the Scola Cantorum sang at all of the masses at the monastery as well as at other religious celebrations and special functions. Mary and the Scola Cantorum were present every day at 4:00 p.m. in the church to lead the sacred hymns for the Vespers prayer service. Padre Pio and his entire religious community attended Vespers and Benediction every afternoon.
On December 5, 1928, Giuseppa Forgione, Padre Pio’s mother, came to Mary’s house to spend the Christmas season. Giuseppa, who lived in Pietrelcina, was not able to travel to San Giovanni Rotondo very often and she was looking forward to being with Mary and also seeing her son and attending his daily Mass. The weather was particularly cold that winter. Giuseppa walked up the steep hill from Mary’s house to the monastery to attend the Christmas Midnight Mass and caught a chill. Soon she came down with double pneumonia. Despite Mary’s excellent care, Giuseppa’s condition deteriorated rapidly.
Padre Pio was informed of Giuseppa’s serious condition. To be near his mother, Padre Pio, accompanied by Padre Raffaele, stayed for two days at Mary’s house. Padre Pio remained at his mother’s bedside, praying and lovingly assisting her. Those who were nearby saw blood flowing down his fingers from the wounds of the stigmata. When it became evident that his mother’s end was near, he gave her the Last Rites. When Giuseppa passed away, Padre Pio wept inconsolably. He was so grief stricken that he could not attend her funeral and it took many days for him to regain his composure.
Mary also took care of Padre Pio’s father, Grazio Forgione in his later years. When Grazio was eighty years old, he asked Mary if he could stay in her home. His great desire was to be near Padre Pio and to attend his Mass each morning at the monastery. Mary felt it a privilege to have Grazio as a member of her busy household and he lived with her for the last eight years of his life. Mary gave Grazio all the care and loving attention that she would have given to her own father. Padre Pio visited Grazio when he was able to and remained at his bedside in his final illness.
Mary was often called to the monastery to act as translator between Padre Pio and his foreign-speaking guests. Angelina Serritelli, a resident of San Giovanni Rotondo, called upon Mary on one occasion for assistance. Angelina had a niece who was coming from the United States to receive her first Holy Communion from Padre Pio. She was going to make her first confession the day before her first Holy Communion. The girl spoke no Italian and Padre Pio spoke no English. Angelina, knowing the problem of the language barrier, entrusted the matter to Mary. As she had done under similar circumstances, Mary accompanied the girl to the confessional and told Padre Pio that she would act as translator for the confession. “It is not necessary,” Padre Pio said to Mary.
Mary left the two alone, yet wondered how the confession would be possible under the circumstances. Afterward, Mary asked the young girl if the language barrier had posed much of a problem. “It was no problem at all,” she told Mary. “In what language did Padre Pio speak to you?” Mary asked. The girl explained that he spoke to her in English. He also understood everything that she had said to him in English. Mary marveled at the girl’s words. Padre Pio had never studied English. He neither spoke nor understood English, but he did on that particular day.
Both big and little miracles occurred when Padre Pio was nearby and Mary counted herself extremely fortunate to be a witness to so many of them. Padre Pio often said that his guardian angel assisted him in understanding and speaking foreign languages.
Once, a woman who made her confession to Padre Pio shared her experience with Mary. During the confession, she mentioned that she was worried about a friend. She asked Padre Pio if perhaps he had some words of counsel for her friend that she could relay to her when she returned home. Padre Pio gave the woman a message to give to her friend but his words seemed very harsh. She determined at once that she would never share the message. Mary said to the woman, “If Padre Pio told you to do something, I recommend that you do it. Otherwise, why would you seek his advice?” The woman took Mary’s counsel and relayed the message. Her friend experienced a deep conversion of heart upon hearing Padre Pio’s words.
As more and more people learned of Padre Pio, the number of letters received by the monastery each day continued to increase. The Capuchins found it impossible to keep up with the mail. Mary’s command of six languages proved to be of great benefit. She was asked to answer the foreign correspondence that was coming in from many parts of the world. Given all of her other duties, it was a challenge for Mary to take on this daunting task. For many years, she performed this work almost single-handedly and for a period of time, she was the only person in San Giovanni Rotondo who had the ability to read and answer the German language correspondence.
The mail was organized and sorted according to language. Mary would read and answer every letter, always including in her reply that Padre Pio sent his blessing. It was true. Padre Pio sent his blessing to every person who wrote to him. He had such confidence in Mary that he could entrust the correspondence to her with the certainty that her words were a reflection of his own.
It is interesting to note that the excellent education Mary received in New York, with an emphasis on music and foreign languages, was exactly suited to the work that was asked of her in San Giovanni Rotondo. Later, when Padre Pio’s hospital, the Home for the Relief of Suffering opened its doors, she also assisted with the hospital’s bookkeeping and accounting work.
Mary invited four devout women of the area to come and be a part of her household. These dedicated women helped her in her many good works. Along with Mary, they washed and ironed the altar linens for the church and they laundered Padre Pio’s shirts as well. On occasion, they perceived a beautiful perfume when they washed Padre Pio’s clothing.
Mary rose at 4:00 a.m. every morning to prepare for Padre Pio’s early morning Mass. She and the women who lived with her followed the prayer schedule of the Capuchins as closely as possible and incorporated it into their own daily routine. Their prayers were said at the same time that the Capuchins said their prayers each day at the monastery. Prayer, work, and service to God were to be the outstanding characteristics of Mary’s life.
Mary was asked to take over the work of making the communion hosts for the masses at Our Lady of Grace. She felt this work to be a particular privilege and from her own kitchen made the hosts which were needed in great quantities. She also organized a missionary workshop in her home where the young women who lived in the area would gather together regularly to sew. The handmade clothing and vestments were sent to the Capuchin missions in foreign countries. Mary also directed dramatic plays, the proceeds of which were given to benefit the foreign missions.
When Mary was told that Padre Pio’s hometown of Pietrelcina was in need of a church and seminary for the Capuchin friars who lived there, she told Padre Pio that she wanted to provide the needed money for the project. Padre Pio was very happy to give his consent and told her to begin the plans immediately. He chose the name “Holy Family” for the new foundation.
Mary’s great esteem and respect for Padre Pio increased as the years went by. She said that she observed not one Padre Pio, but seven. She said, “I see Padre Pio the priest, the simple Italian man from Pietrelcina, the mystic, the confessor, the shepherd of souls, the wonder worker, and the helper of the poor and the sick through the Home for the Relief of Suffering. So there is not only one Padre Pio, but actually seven.”
In the early days, when pilgrims came to San Giovanni Rotondo to attend Padre Pio’s Mass, there were few accommodations. People who wanted to stay for more than a day sometimes had to sleep outside in the open air. There were no restaurants, hotels or motels. Mary’s door was always open to provide a hot meal for the weary traveler. It was not unusual for Mary to have fifteen, twenty or even thirty people seated at her table for the main meal of the day.
There were also many poor people living in San Giovanni Rotondo at that time who came to Mary’s door in a continuous stream, asking for help of one kind or another. Food was always available for the hungry and no one in need was ever turned away. Mary’s immense charity knew no boundaries. But it was not only the poor who knocked on Mary’s door. She was also visited by well-known doctors, government officials, scientists, lawyers, representatives from the Vatican, bishops, artists, military officers and more. Descendants of royalty, as well as several high-profile American movie stars also visited Mary, all drawn to San Giovanni Rotondo by their devotion to Padre Pio.
Assisting Padre Pio and greeting the pilgrims who visited him kept Mary in constant motion, yet she was always ready and willing to do more. She said, “I should be happy to be the nail of Padre Pio’s little finger.”
When Mary thought about the future, she sometimes worried about what might become of her house when she was no longer able to live and work in it. She spoke to Padre Pio about her concern. “Do not worry,” he said. “Even if your house were to fall to the ground, it would be rebuilt stone by stone for a beautiful and holy purpose.”
Mary walked to town regularly to visit and care for the sick in the area. She also had a special love in her heart for children and provided financial assistance to the orphanage in San Giovanni Rotondo. She taught the local children their catechism, preparing them for their first Holy Communion. For the families who could not afford it, Mary paid for their children’s first Holy Communion clothing. She encouraged the boys in her catechism classes to consider a vocation to the priesthood. To Mary’s great joy, a number of her students applied to the seminary. Mary paid for the seminary education of at least ten young men who completed their studies and became priests.
On one occasion, when Padre Pio was giving his blessing to a group of people, a number of those who were gathered began to crowd around him. Mary stepped to the back and let everyone else go in front of her. Padre Pio noticed what she had done and said, “Maria, come here. Come to the front. You must be the first because you have done so much good for everyone!” He was very much aware of her many good works and was especially appreciative of all that she had done for his parents.
Mary’s mother Adelaide, came to San Giovanni Rotondo on occasion to visit her daughter. She always enjoyed seeing Padre Pio when she visited and the two shared a wonderful rapport. Adelaide used to tell Mary that she felt Padre Pio’s presence with her on many occasions and while traveling in different parts of the world. Mary spoke to Padre Pio about her mother’s words and asked him if it was true. “I go to her continually,” was his response.
As Adelaide grew older, it became more and more difficult for her to make the long trip to San Giovanni Rotondo. On one of her last visits, she said to Mary “I know I cannot make the journey again. This is the last time we will ever see each other.” Padre Pio was present when Adelaide made the statement and he said to her, “I hope that we will see you again but if we do not meet again on this earth, we will all be reunited in Heaven.”
Mary kept her U.S. citizenship when she moved to San Giovanni Rotondo. At the beginning of World War II, U.S. citizens and other non-Italian citizens living in Italy were feared to be spies who conceivably might be collecting information that could be harmful to Italy. Non-citizens were customarily sent to other locations and considered as political prisoners. Mary was summoned by the police commissioner and given ten days to leave San Giovanni Rotondo.
The Capuchins spoke to the authorities in Mary’s favor. Through a special arrangement and much to her relief, the orders stipulated that Mary was to go to Pietrelcina. The date was December 27, 1941. She stayed in Pietrelcina for almost two years, living with Padre Pio’s family. Mary attended to her prayers, spiritual reading, the Divine Office and daily Mass, living her vocation as a Third Order Franciscan in an exemplary way. In October of 1943, Mary was allowed to once again return to San Giovanni Rotondo.
Mary, who did not want to attempt to make the trip back to San Giovanni Rotondo alone, asked one of the townspeople of Pietrelcina to accompany her. The man had a mule and cart which were used for the two-day journey. One of the residents of Pietrelcina baked a chocolate cake and asked Mary to deliver it to Padre Pio. Because of the short supply of many products during war times, chocolate at that time was a rare and highly-prized food item.
After traveling for several hours, Mary and her companion came to a bridge that had collapsed during a military bombing. They realized it would be impossible to get the cart across the river. They had to leave the cart and mule in the care of a local farmer and walk the rest of the way to Foggia. It took them many hours to get there. Once in Foggia, they were able to get a ride with an American soldier who was headed in the direction of San Giovanni Rotondo. When he dropped Mary and her companion off at a crossroads, he had the audacity to grab the chocolate cake as he pulled away.The last stretch of the journey was an uphill walk which took six hours to complete. Mary’s eyes filled with tears when the Capuchin church as well as her pink house came into view. It was good to be home!
Mary was anxious to get back to work and to resume the life she had been living before being sent to Pietrelcina. There were no other desires in her heart. Upon her return, Padre Pio said to her, “I have done the best for your soul.”
World War II would continue its path of destruction for several more years and it was during this period that hundreds of American and Allied soldiers, stationed at military bases near San Giovanni Rotondo, made their way to Padre Pio’s monastery and to Mary’s house.
The American soldiers described Mary as having all of the wonderful qualities of a loving mother. She radiated happiness to everyone she came in contact with. The soldiers enjoyed many home cooked meals at her house. Most of them knew very little about Padre Pio. Mary shared stories of Padre Pio with everyone. Mary once said, “The world will someday be surprised to find out who Padre Pio really was.” She escorted many of the soldiers to the monastery to meet Padre Pio and for those who did not speak Italian, she acted as translator. Attending Padre Pio’s Mass proved to be a life-changing experience for a number of the military men and many experienced a deep conversion back to their faith.
After the war ended, when the American soldiers returned to their homes, they told their friends and relatives about the saintly priest who lived in the far away monastery in southern Italy. Many of the American G.I.’s remained in contact with Mary through letters.
Through the years, Mary worked for Padre Pio diligently, steadily, loyally. Once when she voiced a complaint to Padre Pio about the Home for the Relief of Suffering, he said to her, “Don’t criticize the hospital, Mary. It will be where you will spend your last days on earth.” His words proved to be accurate. Mary’s devotion to Padre Pio was so great that she could not imagine life without him. Once she said to Padre Pio, “What will I do when you are gone?” He answered her, “You will be there to greet me,” indicating to Mary that she would precede him in death.
The last years of Mary’s life were marked by a steady decline in health. She was coming to the end of her earthly journey. She developed a heart condition and due to several strokes, lost the use of her legs. She bore her prolonged sufferings with patience and even though ill and bedridden, she remained an apostle of Padre Pio. She continued to do a great deal of good, even from her sickbed. Pilgrims and visitors to San Giovanni Rotondo still knocked on Mary’s door. They were ushered into her bedroom, where she was happy to receive each one. Just like she had done for so many years, she told the pilgrims stories about Padre Pio. She once said, “I do not wish to be without Padre Pio either on earth or in Heaven.” Mary still had her beautiful smile and her gracious attitude. Nevertheless, it was hard for her to be inactive. One day she said to Padre Pio, “Of what use am I, now that I can do nothing?” Padre Pio answered, “You can do the will of God.”
During Easter week of 1968, Mary made her confession to Padre Pio. She stated that she had never before seen him looking as he did on that day. His appearance, she said, reminded her of Jesus. Mary knew that Padre Pio, deeply united to Jesus, was also united to the sufferings of His Passion. As Good Friday approached, Mary observed that Padre Pio seemed to take on the very appearance of Jesus. Shortly after Easter, Mary suffered another stroke and was taken to the Home for the Relief of Suffering. She was eighty years old. Padre Pio was informed that her end was near and was asked if he wanted to visit her in the hospital. He was very ill at the time and was not able to leave the monastery. He said, “Physically, I am unable to visit her. But I shall pray to the Lord that he take her to Paradise with the angels.” He paused a moment and then added, “Mary will finally be able to listen to the angels without having to play the organ.”
Mary died in the Home for the Relief of Suffering on April 26, 1968. She had lived in San Giovanni Rotondo and served Padre Pio’s work for forty-five years. Charitable to the end, one of the last acts of her life was to provide the funds for some of the pressing needs of the Holy Family Seminary in Pietrelcina. She left her earthly estate to the Capuchins at the monastery of Our Lady of Grace. Padre Pio said of Mary, “She was always very religious and the Lord knows how to give a just reward to those who have earned it.” Padre Pio was to pass away just five months later, on September 23.
Mary was buried in the Capuchin Chapel in the cemetery in San Giovanni Rotondo where the Capuchin priests and brothers were laid to rest. Also buried there were Padre Pio’s father and mother, Grazio and Giuseppa Forgione, his brother Michael Forgione, and his beloved spiritual director and friend, Padre Agostino Daniele.
The Capuchin friars of Our Lady of Grace monastery held Mary in the highest esteem. They had the following words inscribed on her tomb:
Adelia Maria Pyle - Full of charity and of seraphic virtues, may you remain eternally in the memory of Pietrelcina, where you donated a monastery, of San Giovanni Rotondo, where you were admired as a docile spiritual daughter of Padre Pio.
Christmas crib' 2023 video
Every Christmas, I focus on the scriptural aspect of Jesus' life. This year I created the Christmas crib on the theme: "I am the way, the truth, and the life." [John 14:6] I have created this crib in a logo style, where each element reflects a facet of this powerful verse, guiding viewers on a spiritual journey. The process of designing, creating, and rectifying errors in certain intricate sections of the crib consumed a duration of a month and a half. Every year as I embark on this faith journey through Christmas crib creation, I feel God's grace guiding my hands, and igniting my artistic spirit. For this divine help, I am eternally grateful to God. Wish you Merry Christmas and a Blessed New year 2024. May the faithful love of Jesus Christ live in our heart and our life — forever. Christmas theme: I am the way, the truth, and the life. Description: Black terrain: Black terrain smeared with blood is symbolic of the sinful world. Bible: The word of God is the way that
Christmas crib' 2022_video
Every Christmas, I focus on the scriptural aspect of Jesus' life. This year I created the Christmas crib on the theme: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…" (John 1:14) Almost every element in the crib is hand crafted and sculpted with paper and paper clay. For this crib, I sculpted child Jesus with paper clay. I thank God for helping me to create this spiritually meaningful and wonderful Christmas crib. Wish you Merry Christmas and a Blessed New year 2023. May the faithful love of Jesus Christ live in our heart and our life — forever. Christmas theme: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…" [John 1:14] Jesus, the 'living word of God', 'the love of God', became flesh and blood to dwell among us — For this is how God loved the world that HE gave HIS only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in HIM may not perish but may have eternal life. The purpose of Jesus' coming into this world is to bring God's salvation to the world — the Joy of Jesus' birth
Christmas crib' 2021 video
Christmas theme: For God so loved the world… that HE sent HIS beloved Son, Jesus Christ — the living word of God, to become flesh — and die on the cross, and bring the sinful world to salvation. Jesus Christ came into this sinful world in love. HE died on the Cross for our salvation in love. Jesus' life, HIS sufferings, HIS death on the Cross is a testimony of HIS love. Description: Black Cross: The black Cross symbolizes the sins of the world. Star: The star with a green lining symbolizes the birth of Jesus Christ — the prince of peace. Ground: The ground is in black, symbolizing the sinful world. Jesus Christ crucified: Jesus Christ is in white, symbolic of HIS Divinity, purity — blameless and spotless — lamb of God. Jesus' melting flesh: The melting flesh symbolizes Jesus, the living word of God emptying HIS divinity to take the form of human being — in love. Heart: Jesus, the living word of God, came into this sinful world in love. Heart is symbolic of HIS human nature.
An Anthology of Wisdom from my Spiritual Diary_28
Featured in Groups
© 2015 - 2024 SAUMIGUEL
Comments7
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
I wish I was like her I've made so many horrible sins and mistakes that scare the life out of me everyday. I don't know why I'm telling you this.