Saint Pio Foundation with Luciano Lamonarca

In conversation with Luciano Lamonarca, Italian tenor residing in New York, and Founder of the Saint Pio foundation in NY. As one who has received what is considered a miracle: the birth of their son Sebastian, Luciano has invested all his energies in laying the groundwork to ensure that the foundation could grow and receive the needed support to become established. Padre Pio was born on May 25, 1887 in Pietrelcina, southern Italy. He was tutored privately until his entry to the novitiate of the Capuchin Friars at the age of 15. Of feeble health but strong will, with the help of grace, he completed the required studies and was ordained a priest in 1910. On September 20, 1918 the five wounds of our Lord’s passion appeared on his body, making him the first stigmatized priest in the history of the Catholic Church. His whole life was marked by long hours of prayer and continual austerity. His letters to his spiritual directors reveal the ineffable suffering, physical and spiritual, which accompanied him all through his life. They also reveal his deep union with God, his burning love for the Blessed Eucharist and Our Blessed Lady. On January 9, 1940, Padre Pio announced his grandiose plans to develop a Home for the Relief of Suffering (the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza). The Casa opened its doors on May 5, 1956 as a 300 bed facility, built on the small, sincere and spontaneous donations and prayers of his followers. He also developed an international network of prayer groups for the support of the Casa and its ministry that continues to live on and grow today. In 2017, Saint Pio Foundation organized the first official tour of the relics of Padre Pio. The tour visited eighteen archdioceses and dioceses in the United States, including Pittsburgh. In March 2023, the Saint Pio Foundation launched the "Green Mile" initiative to support the "A Mano Libera - Senza Barre" (“Freehand – Without Bars”) project of the San Vittore Association of the Diocese of Andria. A Mano Libera was founded by Father Don Riccardo Agresti, a priest known for his strength, courage, pragmatism, and faith in his neighbor. This project is an alternative to detention for inmates and ex-inmates of Italian prisons. Motivated by a strong desire for personal and social redemption, program participants work on a 25-acre farm in Andria, Italy, where they learn artisanal skills and produce taralli, a popular Italian snack food. Istituto Mondo Italiano has joined in this mission, and if you would like to support "A Mano Libera", you can purchase your Taralli here: https://www.saintpiofoundation.org/freehand (Choose: Istituto Mondo Italiano - Centro di cultura italiana as referring organization)