PADRE PIO: "THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE WILL BE CONVERTED...RUSSIA WILL TEACH THE UNITED STATES A LESSON IN CONVERSION"
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Father John P. Duggan was a chaplain in the US army - he belonged to the 304th Wing of the 15th Air Force and was stationed at Cerignola - a little under an hour's drive from Padre Pio's friary. Father Duggan was a lionhearted priest who at the time was in his 30s. This was in the early 1940s, and Padre Pio was in his 50s, but Pio was not well-known in America and while Father Duggan never witnessed Padre Pio do anything spectacular, he acted as an ambassador for Padre Pio and brought many American servicemen to meet Padre Pio. In this, Father Duggan showed himself to be of great faith and deep humility, he was a priest who was introducing the soldiers under his spiritual care to another priest who he knew could lead these men in higher ways.
When Father Duggan asked Padre Pio about the future of the of America and Russia, Pio said plainly, "The Russian people will be converted. Their total conversion will happen very fast. The conversion of the United States will be slow but sure."
On another occasion, Padre Pio reiterated this same second sight when he was talking to an American soldier, Leone Fanning. Corporal Fanning, as he was then, had felt a call to be a priest but could not pursue his vocation because he'd been drafted. No one had breathed a word to Padre Pio that Leone Fanning was hoping to become a man of the cloth, but when Padre Pio met him, he said, "Your name is not just Leone. Someday it will be Father Leone." Fanning was confirmed in his vocation and he believed in Pio's supernatural gift to read the future. Pio's words all came to pass, when Leone Fanning was discharged, he returned to America and was ordained in 1954. He was a priest for the next 54 years.
But while he spent time with Padre Pio, the young Fanning asked Padre Pio about the conversion of Russia and he received this reply: "Yes, Russia will be converted as the Blessed Virgin said she would. However, Russia will teach the United States a lesson in conversion."
When we merge the two prophecies, we have the following, yes, the Russian people will be converted to the Faith and it will be a very rapid metamorphosis of a nation that has currently a population of over 144 million. In contrast, the US will be slower but real, and will copy the Christian ways of Russia.
Recently at a dinner party, I was asked if Pio had ever said anything about Russia and when I quoted Pio, essentially that the Russians will give Americans an example of being faithful in the Christian faith, it didn't go down so well. I submit that this takes humility to process that the Russians will be faith leaders, especially by their example of swift, stunning conversion. We need Father Duggan's humility.
In tandem, we may bear in mind our history of the last 100 years when nations around the globe copied Russia. Our Lady of Fatima foretold on the eve of the Communist revolution that the errors of Russia would spread, and indeed they did. But the reverse can happen, too, if in the coming times the failings of Russian will be cast aside and instead her faith will spread.
Essentially, if we can copy Russia in the bad, we can copy her in the good, too.
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This post was informed by C. Bernard Ruffin's Padre Pio, The True Story, which you may buy at the Spirit Daily store. Also, my friend, Frank Rega has a great part about the prophecies of Padre Pio in his book, Amazing Miracles of Padre Pio.
I read the same book and remember that quote. I hope one day someone will make a book out of that compilation of predictions and hopefully soon!
ReplyDeleteDear Tito, Thank you - I’ve combed through every book and every source I can find and made a compilation of all Pio’s prophecies that I can find, and this will be a significant part of my book on Padre Pio. I hope to publish it asap but I’ve had to translate whole books from Italian to English to find them. God bless you and your work, Mary O’R
ReplyDeleteMy father too was assigned to the 15th Air Force and his chaplain Fr. John St. John SJ took my father and others to meet with Mary Pyle and Padre Pio.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for telling me this, would you like to leave your contact details so I may ask you about your father’s memories? God bless you + Prayers, Mary O’Regan
DeleteMary, the Padre Pio archives of the Friary must be vast and jealously guarded. When St. Pio author Fr. John Schug passed away, cartons of his notes were bequeathed to the Friary; but when Bernard Ruffin asked if he could look though them, he was refused permission!
ReplyDeleteMary, the Padre Pio archives of the Friary must be vast and jealously guarded. When St. Pio author Fr. John Schug passed away, he bequeathed cartons of his notes and papers to the Friary. But when Bernard Ruffin requested access to them, he was denied permission! Too bad also that may years ago, during one of the persecutions of Padre Pio, the Friary was ordered to destroy all the letters that had been saved from people who wrote to Padre Pio. They probably contained many stories of favors or miracles granted.
ReplyDeleteFrank, we should not be surprised at the destruction of much of Padre Pio's archive. It seems to be one way Satan hits the seraphic order - think about how St. maximilan Kolbe's archives were damaged during World War 2, How Venerable Antonio de Margil's cause foundered after his many of his records of his miracles were destroyed in Rome as a result of the Napoleonic wars. Unlike Margil, there were enough people to push through with Padre Pio's canonization. Another example is what happened to the records of Bl. John Duns Scotus at the reformation. As a result, the stories about our Lady dnd Bl. John Duns are written off by scholars as fabrications by the Irish Fransican Luke Wadding.
ReplyDeleteI was touched years ago when I read Catherine Doherty’s biography the beautiful spirituality of the Russian people prior to the entrance of the Communist regime. Thinking of this, it makes sense to me that someday they will be greatly converted. I pray I live to see those blessed days
ReplyDeleteFeast of St. Peter of Verona
ReplyDelete29th April, 2022 A. D.
Dear Mary, This prophecy captured in your headline, "The Russian People Will Be Converted; [and] Russia Will Teach the United States a Lesson in Conversion," is an amazing prophecy, for it is a prophecy confirming the prophecy of Fatima. How timely of you to bring this to mind, considering world events.
Mr. Ruffin's book is a treasure trove, in many ways the best biography of Padre Pio. Another great bio is by Fr. Charles Mortimer Carty, from a Catholic priestly perspective. Most enjoyably I read the two in tandem some years ago, but I had forgotten the dual prophecy Padre Pio made. Thx also for Mr. Rega's work!
I had to chuckle at your relation of the effect of dropping such a comment at your cocktail party. I can well imagine the blank stares. I frequently experience the very same thing particularly whenever I mention Fatima, particularly the hidden Third Secret(!), wherein from glimmers we have received we know Our Lady warned of "apostasy in the Church at the highest levels," from cardinals who read it in 1959, and "a false pope." Or the uneffected Consecration of Russia.
Similarly, if you question whether Pope Benedict is not still the true Pope. Another taboo topic for enlightened (be-nighted progressivists underneath?) Catholics is the fake Sr. Lucia who replaced the real Sr. Lucia of Fatima sometime after 1957. I invite your review of Sr. Lucy Truth and the work of Peter Chojnowski on point. Similarly, should one mention
I happen to think these three subjects of Fatima, including Russia and its consecration to the Immaculate Heart and subsequent conversion (and the false Sr. Lucy), Anti-Pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio who styles himself "Francis"—or false pope Francis if you will—and the true Pope Benedict, are all intimately related.
Many thanks, including for the wonderful photo of Padre Pio with the American troops.
Viva Cristo Rey! Viva Il Papa, Viva Papa Benedetto!
C. P. Benischek
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Saint Maximilian Kolbe coming back from Japan through the Transsiberian railway halted in Moscow and prophesied that in a not remote future the Red Place will be called the White Place with a statue of Our Blessed Mother that will be venerated by the russians here.
ReplyDeleteSome time ago, probably a radio show, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen made the approximate comment that, "Russia has the cross without Christ and the United States has Christ without the cross" and that "Russia would find Christ before the United States finds the cross".
ReplyDeleteIT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE CONVERSION OF RUSSIAN WILL BE A RESULT OF RUSSIA'S DEFEATS IN THE WAR THAT IT HAS STARTED IN UKRAINE.I DISMISS STORIES ABOUT PUTIN'S ILL HEALTH.FOR THE CONVERSION OF RUSSIAN TO BE SWIFT AS PADRE PIO SAID THERE MUST BE SOME CATASTROPHIC EVENT TO TAKE PLACE.MY INTUITION TELLS ME THAT IT MUST HAVE SOME CONNECTION TO THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT THAT IS IN CONSTANT DANGER OF BEING DESTROYED.THE ENSUING RADIATION WOULD DESTROY LARGE SECTIONS OF RUSSIAN AND UKRAINE AS WELL AS THE PEOPLE IN THE AFFECTED AREAS.I AM INTERESTED IN THE THOUGTS OF OTHERS ON THIS SUBJECT.PLEASE SEND MESSAGES TO TONY BARONE ON FACEBOOK IN AUSTRALIA.THANK YOU.
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