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SPIRITUALITY
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
Prayer Group
General Principles of the Northern
Virginia
Padre Pio Prayer Group
"I wish to thank the Lord with you for
having given Padre Pio to this generation in this very tormented
century. In his love for God and for his brothers, he is a sign of
great hope, and he invites us all not to leave him alone in the
mission of charity."
Pope John Paul II, SanGiovanni
Rotondo, 1987
Origin of the Padre Pio Prayer Groups
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http://pppg.org/origin.html
On January 26, 2003, Arlington
Bishop, Paul S. Loverde D.D., S.T.L., J.C.L. officially approved the
formation of a Vatican sanctioned Padre Pio Prayer Group at Blessed
Sacrament Parish in Alexandria, Virginia. The group is open to all
Roman Catholics from any parish. It is affiliated (application
pending) with the International Association of Padre Pio Prayer
Groups under the control of the Director General of the Foundation.
"La Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" (Home for the Relief of
Suffering), which is the hospital founded by Padre Pio and dedicated
in 1956.
Operating exclusively under statutes
approved by His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, through a letter from
the Secretary of State, Cardinal Agostino Casaroli and dated 3 May
1986 (No. 160.9771A), the International Association of Prayer
Groups' administrative offices are in San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia,
Italy.
The five general principles which the
Padre Pio Prayer Group will follow are listed below:
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Total and unconditional adherence
to the teaching of the Catholic Church, guided by the Pope and his
Bishops;
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Obedience to the Pope and the
Bishops whose representative, in each group, is the Spiritual
Director;
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Prayer with the Church, through
the Church, and in the Church;
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A
willingness to share in the sufferings of Christ, as an effective
means of reparation;
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Generosity and self-sacrifice in
undertaking works of charity for the suffering and the needy.
The Spiritual Director appointed for
the group by Bishop Loverde is Fr. Bryan Belli, Associate Pastor of
Blessed Sacrament. The prayer Group will function under the
direction of Fr. John Cregan, Pastor of Blessed Sacrament. and is
established for a period of 5 years. Arthur Scarano (SFO-Candidate),
a parishioner of Blessed Sacrament, will serve as leader for a
period of 12 months, at which time the group will have election for
this position. The Group will meet once every month for prayer. At
some point the group will become involved in a local Apostolate and
also meet for Spiritual formation purposes.
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