put out into the deep

"Pray, hope, and don't worry. Worry is useless.  God is merciful and will hear your prayer." - Saint Padre Pio Pio's father was a shepherd but later in life, he would take on that role for a countless number of souls. On May 25, 1887, Saint Padre Pio was born in the south of Italy to a farm family.  From a young age, he knew that he had a special calling to the priesthood and he entered the Capuchin friars novitiate in Morcone, Italy.  He was ordained at the age of 22. His whole life was immersed in prayer.  On September 20, 1918, while he was meditating on the Lord and looking at the cross, he received the stigmata.  He is the first priest to be blessed with this mystical gift.  In World War II, he was seen flying in the skies in order to protect the town from being bombed.  The people also saw Padre Pio levitate, cure the sick just by touching them, and even bilocate. "Prayer is the best weapon we possess, the key that opens the heart of God." -  Saint Pa