mayo padre pio

 

Padre Pio's Statue

padre pio and mary  maloneFrom her days in Mount Bellew school as a teenager to the present day, Mary has always had a great devotion to Padre Pio. When Padre Pio passed away from this world in 1967, Mary, like untold numbers or other devotees was very saddened but still carried on with prayers and devotions to Padre Pio.

The favours granted through the intercession of Padre Pio with prayer are too numerous to mention in this letter (Mary could literally fill a book with all the requests and indulgences granted.) Because of all that has been granted through prayer by Padre Pio towards Mary, and also because of the one story related here:

"About 12 years ago in Jo-burg, South Africa, Mary was presenting workshops and lectures on visionary energy, how it works etc. One night, after ending her daily prayers, Padre Pio came to Mary in a dream. He said to Mary "Combine healing with your work."

She awoke at 4 am with the distinct impression that Padre Pio was still in her bedroom. In fact Mary got out of bed to search the hotel cupboards, bathroom and under her bed. Finally she went back to bed and for about 6 weeks she asked in prayer, day and night, to be given guidance on this matter. Was it just a dream or did it have a more significant meaning?

About 6 weeks late Padre Pio visited Mary again and although still in a dream it was extremely vivid and real to Mary. This time Mary spoke first. She only said one word "When?" Padre Pio smiled and said only one word in return. "Now."

With that he disappeared and Mary fell into a deep sleep. She awoke at 4 am again. Both her hands were burning hot. She awoke her husband, Malcolm, who upon examining her hands found that from Mary's wrists down to the tips of her fingers her hands were too hot to hold for even a short length of time.

After about one hour Mary's hands returned almost to normal temperature except for the "pads" of the hands, (the fleshy part of the hands where the fingers meet the palm) which were very pronounced.

Mary and Malcolm could not sleep after this incident so at 6.45 am decided to walk the 6 city "blocks" to the office building in Rissik Street, Downtown Jo-burg, where Mary was presenting an 11 am public meeting. Because they were too early to go into the conference room they decided to have a coffee at a pavement cafe. Whilst Malcolm was getting the coffee, Mary sat at table, collecting her thoughts about her experience of a few hours ago, and at the same time looking at her hands and gently touching and probing the still hot and swelled pads on her hands. The cafe was walled off from the street and was empty when Mary sat down at a back table, when from seemingly out of nowhere a lady who was a total stranger to Mary came and sat down next to Mary and without preamble started to tell Mary how ill she was.

mary malone and  the Padre Pio statue
When the lady had finished telling Mary about her illness Mary told the lady about her visitation from Padre Pio, showed the lady her hands, and asked could she say a prayer over her and lay her hands very gently on her. The lady very readily said "Yes" and immediately felt heat and what she described as "an electric current" came from Mary's hands.

Mary left for her presentation and asked the lady to call into her workshop location the next week. One week later the same lady walked into Mary's office in Rissik Street, and Mary and Malcolm did not recognize her. She was completely healed. That was the start of Mary's healing mission. This is only one reason why Mary has commissioned this unique statue of Padre Pio. To this day Mary's hands are always very warm and the pads are still quite large, especially when she is presenting one of her healing sessions.

 

The Frank Grace Story

When the statue was finally completed and delivered to Mary's room at the beautiful Del Mar Inn, in San Diego, California: before it's long journey by sea from Long Beach, California to Felixstow, England, the hotel staff were enthralled, mesmerized and intrigued by the presence of the statue in Mary's room.

Mr. Frank Grace, the General Manager and part owner of the Del Mar Inn stated that " in all my 37 years in the Hotel Business" (and this includes 17 hotels in the USA, Canada and Mexico) "I have never experienced anything like my short involvement with the wooden statue of Padre Pio. Almost immediately we were referring to the statue as 'Him'.

"It was somehow hard to leave the room when we would visit with Mary. His eyes seemed to follow you around the room. It was a weird feeling."

"On certain days you could sense that he was almost frowning and the next day he would be smiling. And even though you would be standing well away from the statue you were somehow always aware of the presence of the statue."

"When it came time for the statue to leave, all the management and staff at the hotel experienced a feeling of loneliness. This persisted for weeks after the statue had gone."

"It left an impression on all who came in contact with it. For weeks afterwards staff would open up and talk about their experiences with the statue."

N.B. The statue was completed and delivered to Mary's hotel suite on the 15th November 1996 and after 6 weeks was boxed and despatched to England by boat, (the journey took 1 month). Since then it has been in Cornwall, England. The statue will make it's first appearance in Knock, Co. Mayo, Ireland on the 12th and 13th February 2000. Mr. Frank Grace has retired from a lifetime of service in the hotel industry. He now lives in quiet retirement in Ensanada, Mexico, and has become one of Mary and Malcolm's best friends.

 

Tom Benson Wood Sculptures

Information about the Artist:
Father worked with wood
Started whittling when young
In 3rd grade made a panda soap sculpture, principal thought the art teacher did it!
Been carving for 12 years
Been professional for over one year, laid off from General Dynamics, decided to follow a dream
Attended Entrepreneurial Lab conducted by the San Diego Business Consortium, June/July 1995
Carves primarily large bold animals and human forms, that are realistic yet simple in design, often whimsical
Wanted to try bigger pieces, therefore from whittling to carving
First thing carved - Totem pole from dead tree in front yard in college, Georgia Tech, aerospace engineering
Carved penguin with engagement ring in his flippers
Carved wedding presents, e.g. giraffe, hippo, meerkat, owl, cat
Carved present for parents, dog lying down, surprises visitors under the armchair
First large piece: Stump - collection of animal heads, First Prize, Del Mar Fair, 1994
Other large pieces - life-size moose head, 7 foot Indian, replica of Tutankahmen coffin
First big commission, 1995: Padre Pio
Awarded $15,000 grant from City of San Diego, 1995 Azalea Park Street Art
Information about Padre Pio, The Process:
The entire design and planning process was completed by computer
Had several back copies of the Voice of Padre Pio for photos
Hands are based on a plaster casting of the artist's own hands made by his wife
Glued precut planks of mahogany, at this point weighed approximately 350 lbs
Completed base shape with chain saw
Had to rough out complete shape in order to reduce weight because it was too heavy to move
Carved the simpler outlines of the clothing first, then worked on hands and face
Face was last part to be completed
The placing of the hands was a common and natural pose for Padre Pio, as seen in many photos and video
The Padre's unique features that the artist wanted to capture: striking eyebrows, prominent Italian nose, distinctive "bags" under the eyes, subtle, gentle smile.
Hours and hours spent on hand rubbing the natural oil finish and final coat of wax
Kept a large picture of the Padre hanging in the studio throughout the creation of the carving
Only known piece of artwork of the hooded figure of Padre Pio
Artist feels a special attachment to the Padre because of a natural characteristic of the wood. The forehead of the statue is marked by the core, or pith, of the tree that it came from. The artist has a deep scar on his own forehead in the same position. This was not intentional placement, but was only noticed in the last stages of the process
Artist and wife will miss having the Padre to watch over them in their own home
Statistics:

  • Height 5 feet 4 inches
  • Weight 200 lbs
  • Wood Samoan Mahogany
  • Finish Hand Rubbed Oil with Wax
  • Started Design February 1995
  • Finished Design and Started Carving June 1995
  • Finished Carving October 1995