The Story of St. Pacomius

While traveling on the Steamer "Re Vittorio" (24th June 1922), Don Orione told the story of St. Pacomius, a soldier who had became for the Christian’s charity.

As well as that, unity in diversity and multiplicity forms and maintains peace among men.  And one sole heart and one sole mind, in a multitude and a variety of faithful, is that which is celebrated in the Acts of the Apostles. This is the thing that, at the beginnings of our Holy Church, greatly edified the Gentiles, who said: "See how these Christians love one another!  They would be ready to die for each other." Thus reports the ancient Christian writer Tertullian in the Apologetic.

One ardent day in the fourth Century of the Christian era, a Roman soldier entered Thebes in Egypt with his legion. He was of a pagan family, and was called Pacomius. 

His companions, exhausted through fatigue and hunger, were already beginning to collapse around him, when out of the houses and nearby enclosures came men, women, children who, moved by compassion, brought help and, with delicate and patient concern, some of them treated the wounds and others provided food and meals to restore them. Pacomius asked who were those unknown people of charity, and the reply was that they were Christians. During that night Pacomius did not sleep, he meditated and wept.  He felt that he was coming into a great and Divine light, a great and Divine wave and life of the sweetest supreme charity.

Pacomius felt that only God, "Who fills everything with Himself," is the comfort of the soul and the true joy and happiness of the heart.  He felt enchanted by God and even liberated in God with the highest freedom of the Sons of God, and he felt that Christ-God was born in him, was alive in him, was burning in his breast: Christ had been raised up in him by the charity of those Christians, those brothers in harmony in the charity of the Lord.  Christ rose from the charity, and was Charity. Pacomius understood that, from the humanity of the truth and of the true Faith, Christian unity of minds was born, and from it also the strong desire to be a blessing to others. (…)

Pacomius did not sleep that night: Jesus was deep within him: He had taken him from an abyss of darkness to a light, to a new and divine life:  Jesus was calling him to Himself with the sweetest heavenly power of charity.  Pacomius them, not being able to resist any longer, and yet freely wanting to follow Christ, came out of his tent and, waving his sword towards Heaven, cried out:  "Oh God of the Christians, You who teach men to love each other so much, I too want to be one of Your worshippers!"  Not long afterwards that soldier received Baptism, and then became a Saint, joining the great St. Anthony the Abbot in leading into the solitude in Egypt those ranks of hermits, who for so many years cultivated the lands, activities and letters and, above all, holiness in fraternal and sweet charity.  That warlike soul, that had never been tamed by iron, had been conquered by charity.  Oh, how beautiful this virtue is!  Paradise itself would not be Paradise without charity, because a Paradise without charity would be a Paradise without God.

Any Place was Suitable for Hearing Confessions

For Don Orione, any place may be suitable for hearing confessions

On 9^th April 1929, Don Orione went to Carmine Great Basilica (Naples). Going out from the Basilica, he realized that his money and his train pass were robbed, so he had to go to the then Ministry of Communication for a procedure. 

There, he talked to an officer and preached him a short homily. The officer remained amazed of his words and said:

I have never heard such things, nobody has ever told me these things...

What can we do, Sir? - Don Orione said -: in the past, princes had preachers at home; this evening, Divine Providence has sent you a preacher to your office... 

            Don Orione was such a good preacher that by continuing to reason out with the ministry officer, this told him that he would willingly confess his sins:

Long time I have not done...

Just now! - Don Orione replied – because I am a bit like an errant Hebrew, maybe you could not meet anymore...

Then, the officer kneeled down …

            "You see - Don Orione would conclude the story - as God allows evil to get something good? ... The Lord and Our Lady of Mount Carmine have allowed that I lost my train pass, or it was stolen, for giving me the opportunity to save a soul at the ministry! ... When there is spirit of faith! ... Let money go away, but let’s save souls! ...[1]

 

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[1] Cf. Orlandi, Luigi, “La Gioia del Bene”, Messaggi di Don Orione 19 (1973) 29-31.

My Journey with St. Luigi Orione

Since I became a volunteer worker in 1995 at our parish in Payatas, Quezon City run by the Sons of Divine Providence Congregation founded by St. Orione, I have dreamed of travelling to his birthplace in Italy. I was therefore filled with great joy when I finally had the chance to visit Italy in 2011. That year, I was a delegate to the World Youth Day in Spain and I made a side trip to Rome.

 When I reached Tortona, I could not quite believe that I was looking at Don Orione’s monument, seeing his parish and standing on the land he trod. All these years, I had read about his life and his work only in comic books. Now, there I was, on the feast day of the Madonna, August 29, right at the place where he was born, where he grew up and now hosts the relic of the saint. I felt like I was on top of the world. Feelings of awe and happiness swept over me when I gazed at the body of the saint, the “boss”  I had worked for all these 17 years, whose life of service and mission of love have inspired me to help the poor, the disabled, the sick – young and old alike. I shed tears of joy and fulfillment.

 

The church was full of devotees – people from all walks of life – imploring the intercession of the saint. Its walls were filled with heart-shaped decorations. I saw the famous shoes – worn out from too much walking to reach the poor and the needy; shoes, pairs of which were often given away to the unshod. Standing there, gazing upon the body of the beloved missionary, I thought of the priests in my own parish and others I know who gave up everything and who continue to make sacrifices in order to guide us in our faith.  Like Don Orione, they live the life of Christ -- loving, giving of oneself, caring for the neglected and the rejected of society.

I felt extremely lucky that in this whole wide world, the Congregation chose the Philippines as a mission site and of all places, picked my own community in Payatas, Quezon City for their evangelization work. I was among the first youngsters to attend their catechism class. Before I graduated from elementary, I was already one of their volunteers. I had endured many difficulties and hardships in the process of deepening my faith.  There, inside the Church of Madonna della Guardia. I understood more fully the meaning of “sacrifice” -- that every act of giving is an offering of love so that each of us will feel Christ-like; that each offering of love makes us all feel we are God’s children, never to be forsaken.

There at Tortona, in his place of origin, I felt grateful that I’ve known Don Orione and that I became his volunteer worker. I also visited Cottolengo, the place for disabled children. And I remembered the years I spent in its local site in the Philippines. I continued on to Rome, to the Congregation’s headquarters where Fr. Joseph toured me and my friend Cindy to all the places where St. Orione started his missionary work. I felt favored and blessed.  Not all volunteers get this rare chance. Throughout the tour, I felt the presence of Don Orione.

 In his parish church in Rome, I prayed fervently that he would continue to guide me in my service to my fellowmen, that he would make me strong in the face of challenges that would come my way, that he would help me grow in my faith in and love for Christ so that like Don Orione, I may be a good servant.

Likewise, I offered a prayer for Don Orione’s congregation – that all his priests and religious will continue his work of reaching out to all sectors and serving all peoples with faith, hope and love. I prayed that St. Orione will continue to guide, inspire and strengthen all his workers, both religious and laity, that they may remain faithful to the vision and legacy of their founder and that their ranks will grow.

 I also prayed for the youth, that St. Orione will lead them closer to a life of service to God and fellowmen, that they will be committed to their faith and united in their desire to live the teachings of Christ. I offered a prayer of thanks for all those who helped me in my trip to Tortona and Rome, especially Fr. Martin Mroz and Fr. Orlando Norniella.

Finally, I prayed that the other volunteer workers will be given a chance to visit the places that were significant to the life and work of Don Orione, that the Congregation and its supporters will find the means to sponsor such meaningful and inspiring trips as I had taken for these others.

St.Luigi Orione, thank you for the experience.

St. Luigi Orione, make me like unto you.

St. Luigi Orione, pray for us. Amen.

~ by: Maria Lourdes “Malou” B. Ybanez- Sto, Niño Chapel

The Man who Poisoned his Own Mother

            One of the most well-known stories about St. Luigi Orione is the confession of the man who put poison in his mother's soup. Here, Don Orione lived what he preached, forgiving and being merciful with that poor sinner.

In the life of Don Orione the apostle there happened at one and the same time an impressive and most pleasant episode.

One winter evening he was preaching in the parish church of Castelnuovo Scrivia. It was absolutely full with a congregation who had come also from nearby villages. The subject was God's mercy, a favorite topic in many of his sermons.  To indicate the greatness of the sacrament of Confession he came out with this sentence: "Even if a child were to reach such a degree of wickedness as to put poison into his mother's soup in order to kill her, he would obtain forgiveness from God if he repented sincerely for his wrongdoing."

At the end of the service he rushed off to the tram stop to go home, but arrived too late and had to start walking towards Tortona, which was about eight kilometers away.

It was getting dark and a short distance away a cold mist was engulfing the trees of the deserted and silent countryside beyond the last houses of the village.

A man wrapped up in a cloak had stopped by the side of the road as if he were waiting for someone. As he approached him Don Orione noticed his features: he was tall with a healthy complexion and a black beard growing to two points.  He was wearing a wide-brimmed hat and his eyes were lost in thought which completely occupied him.  He seemed a suspicious type.

To be on the safe side and keep on the right side of him Don Orione spoke:

"Hello, my friend. Are you going to Tortona?"

The reply was immediate and determined: "No, I am not going to Tortona."

"Good evening then," said Don Orione, setting off again.

"No, good evening," replied the other with a bitter smile. "Stop for a second. Was it you preaching?"

"Yes, that was me."

"You were speaking of confession."

"Yes, I was speaking of confession."

"Do you believe in what you were saying?"

"Yes, I do believe in what I was saying," replied Don Orione slowly.

"You said," the other went on, "that a child who put poison into his mother's soup could be forgiven. Do you believe that that is possible?"

"I certainly do believe it, because it is true. On condition obviously that the guilty person repents."

"So, if a child has poisoned his own mother and confesses, he can be forgiven?"

"Yes, provided that he has repented."

There was a pause. In the misty half darkness that was coming down over the countryside there was a deep sense of expectancy.

"Do you know me?" continued the man finally, staring at the priest.

"No, I don't know you."

"Yes," insisted the other, almost as if annoyed, "You do know me."

"Honestly, I don't know you. Perhaps if you tell me I may be able to remember, but for the moment I don't know you," Don Orione assured him in sincere tones.

"Yet you do know me, because you spoke of me."

"No, I cannot have spoken of you."

"You did, I tell you," protested the man, becoming more and more excited as he saw his own belief being contradicted.

Then he turned his eyes as if he feared that some stranger would pop out of the veil of darkness that was about to enfold him.  Lowering them before Don Orione he declared: "I am the person you spoke of this evening. I put poison in my mother's soup."

A shiver ran through Don Orione who instinctively withdrew. Another pause followed, more laden with unease than the first one.

"Tell me," continued that unfortunate person who had finally found an outlet for his remorse, "tell me, can I still be forgiven?"

"If you have repented..." replied Don Orione in a faint voice which echoed the trembling of his soul.

"You're asking me if I have repented? If you only knew how much I have suffered..."

He described how, since the day of his mother's funeral, although no-one had the slightest suspicion of him, he had never found peace. Several years had gone by. That evening, as he chanced to pass by the church, a place where he had not set foot for a long time, he was seized with an irresistible need to go in:

"I went in at the very moment you were talking about the child who had poisoned his mother. And I thought that those words were directed at me."

He then added in a hushed voice that had become softer because of the indescribable hope that was welling up in his heart: "If I can have God's pardon and you can give it to me, well then, I am here, please forgive me."

(At this point the seal of the sacrament came in and Don Orione's account, not recounted until many years afterwards, came to a stop.)

So it happened that, on the side of the road hardly visible in that winter's evening, while not far away the fires in the houses crackled happily, casting their light on the families who may have been gathered together in a spiritual communion with that man who just a few hours earlier had moved so many souls, the Priest of Christ heard the confession of a penitent who was the most needy and appropriate for representing the triumph of grace in the hearts of mankind.

After receiving the final blessing the man of the soup got up to leave. First, however, in a rush of emotion he wanted to embrace his consoler, hugging him with such an irrepressible force of affection, that Don Orione felt he was dying of suffocation in his arms. Immediately afterwards he disappeared.[1]

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[1] D. Sparpaglione, Il Beato Luigi Orione⁷, Roma, Ed. Paoline, 1980. [Unpublished translation].

Fr. Angelo Falardi: a Priest who was Renewed by the Mission

            When I arrived in the Philippines in 1994, I met Fr. Angelo Falardi, who had been there alone for 6 months, while I was preparing for the mission.

          I discovered a lot of qualities in him, such as: joy, friendship, simplicity, sincerity and availability. Our friendship grew.  Time went by and before the request of the general superior to remain in the mission, he accepted immediately. We worked together as the second batch of Orionine missionaries in the Philippines.

            He was a dreamer; he liked to look towards the future and to imagine the future of the mission. He had great dreams and worked joyfully. His words remain in me: “in the mission I became priest again”. That is why everyday he went out with his motorcycle to visit people and chapels.

He was sincere in giving his opinion and in correcting, everyday studying the Filipino culture, language and the missionary life.

We shared troubles and hard times together.

But the fortune or the will of God prepared him to receive “the desired prize” and he went to heaven while still very young. He dreamt to celebrate his 40^th anniversary, but the Lord called him some months before that.

 The way he bore his disease was an example of suffering, tolerance and acceptance for me. He offered himself for the mission and for the vocations.

His smile and his fatherly opened arms to make everybody welcome, especially the youth, remain in my heart. 

Angelo, thank you for having been part of my life and of the mission!

Fr. Orlando Norniella, FDP