Registration and Updating Prayer Groups

Padre Pio Prayer Groups

National Office

St. Francis Renewal Center
1901 Prior Road
Wilmington, Delaware 19809

The Lord give you His Peace!

At the top of our website (pppg.org) you will notice the link GET INVOLVED. This link has three forms: Registration Form for New Groups, Update Information for existing Groups, and Activity Reports. The information sought through these forms is important to both the International Headquarters and the National Office.

Both Offices believe it would facilitate matters for New Groups forming or Updating Existing Groups to communicate directly with the International Office via email, telephone and/or mail. Headquarters will in turn inform the National Office of the new Groups and Update Information for its files. Address, email and telephone number for the International Headquarters of the Padre Pio Prayer Groups in San Giovanni Rotondo are available on the website.

Difficulties both Offices (International and National) have encountered, that urged our discussion and decision, are the present confusion of information in our offices and delay in written certification or responses to the various Groups. Some reasons for this are due to delay in communicating information to Italy, as well as the practice of Groups dealing directly with San Giovanni without informing the USA office.

There is also another point of confusion encountered: some Groups enroll as members of a Prayer Group and communicate directly with the Monastery of the Capuchin Friars at La Madonna delle Grazie in San Giovanni Rotondo. There is no difficulty nor is there any prohibition to communicate with anyone, much less the Friary where Padre Pio lived and ministered to thousands for so many years. Nevertheless, please remember and take note that all the Prayer Groups are enrolled in San Giovanni Rotondo, and their Headquarters is the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza. Every member of a Prayer Group, no matter where in the world the Group is established, is considered a Spiritual Child of Padre Pio as long as he/she fulfills what Padre Pio expected of a Spiritual Child of his. Padre Pio himself made this very clear

To avoid long delays in registration and certification, to facilitate communication among the Prayer Groups in the USA and the International and National Offices, to insure that both Offices will be ‘on the same page’ with information and activities reported, we are both requesting that all Groups communicate directly with International Headquarters for New Registrations, Updating Reports, and Activity Reports.

You are always welcome to email, telephone, or write to the National Office for any assistance you believe I can offer. Since International Headquarters requests information from the National Office concerning the Prayer Groups, the National Coordinator is still the liaison between the Groups in the USA and Padre Pio Prayer Groups’ International Headquarters in San Giovanni Rotondo, as well as the ‘onsite person’ and ‘point of reference’ in the USA.

Both San Giovanni Rotondo at the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza and the National Office hope that the suggestions offered in this letter will clarify some confusion regarding registrations, better coordinate the Groups in the USA, and finally be able to complete an updated list of all the Prayer Groups in the USA.

Let me repeat that this procedure is intended to facilitate the operation of the Prayer Groups in the USA and enhance communications with the National Office and with International Headquarters. As National Coordinator, I am always at your disposal, as much as possible. While San Giovanni Rotondo and the National Office keep each other informed of all that is happening, I still look forward to hearing from you and working with you.

Thank you for your cooperation and patience with me in this matter.

May God bless you; Our Lady guide, guard, and protect you; and may Padre Pio watch over each one of you, his Spiritual Children, with loving care.

Peace and Blessings
Fr. Francis A. Sariego, O.F.M Cap.
National Coordinator