About Our Group

The Nashville Padre Pio Prayer Group was formed during Holy Week in March of 2018.  Paul and Mildred Chen, the couple leading the group, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land between Dec. 2017 to Jan. 2018 because of an answered prayer from St. Pio.  Fr. Terry O’Connell of Limerick, Ireland was the spiritual guide for the Holy Land Pilgrimage.  By God-incidence, Cindy Russo from Cleveland Ohio was also on the Holy Land Pilgrimage with a different tour group.  Fr. Terry invited Cindy Russo to give his tour group a talk regarding the miraculous encounter of Cindy Russo with St. Padre Pio.  In 2010, St. Pio appeared to Cindy Russo in Rome Italy in a small church across from the Trevi Fountain.  St. Pio cured her nephew who was dying of cancer.   Cindy Russo has the pair of gloves, chalice, and altar cross used by Padre Pio during his masses.  After the Holy Land Pilgrimage, Paul and Mildred invited Fr. Terry O’Connell and Cindy Russo for Holy Week to bring the relics of St. Padre Pio to the Nashville area.   Cindy Russo is also the US Representative to Rome Italy for the Disciples of St. Padre Pio.  One of her missions is to start new Padre Pio Prayer Groups across the US.  This is how the Padre Pio Prayer Group of Nashville started.

Our members are from different parishes throughout the Nashville vicinity, and the Holy Spirit guided us to Fr. Dan Reehil who also had a miraculous encounter with St. Padre Pio.  St. Pio appeared to Fr. Dan as a beggar in Lithuania before he became a priest.   Fr. Dan Reehil is our 1st spiritual director.  Fr. Dan was gifted a Padre Pio glove by a beautiful middle-aged lady, Sis Mary from Belle Meade, TN during the last 2 years as our spiritual director.  Fr. Dan brings his St Pio glove for blessing, healing, and deliverance.  Due to the new assignment of Fr. Dan, our current spiritual director is Fr. Ed Steiner.  Our group meets at St. Philip first Saturday of each month.  Many miraculous incidences with St. Pio have also occurred to our members.

Our prayer group has the 1st class relic of Padre Pio – a piece of cloth stained with blood that covered his hand wound, a bandage that covered the wound of the transverberation of the heart in Padre Pio’s side, and a piece of St. Pio’s glove that covered his stigmata.  We also have the feather from St. Pio’s pillow as a boy before he went and became a priest.  We received the first-class bone relic of St. Anthony of Padua.  We have a first-class bone relic of Blessed Francis Seelos.  We have stones from St. Michael’s cave where St. Michael appeared in the year 490, plus other relics not listed here.  All our first-class relics have certification.  The relics will be at our monthly meeting for veneration.   All members can obtain a relic for an extended time.

During our recent pilgrimage to Ireland visiting the Shrine of Padre Pio – Dublin, Paul and Mildred met a Franciscan Brother Alfie Ryan who lived next room to Padre Pio from 1967 to 1968.  He has the last glove worn by St. Padre Pio to cover his stigmata.  He told our pilgrimage group that St. Pio cares deeply about his Padre Pio Prayer Groups.  St. Pio takes on his prayer group members as his spiritual children.  St. Pio said, “I love my Spiritual Children as much as my own soul, and even more.  To my spiritual children, my prayers for you will never be lacking…. If my spiritual children ever go astray, I shall leave my flock and seek him out.”

Our members often attend as a family, and St. Pio said, “I shall stand at the gate of Paradise until all my spiritual children have entered.”   St. Pio also said, “Once I take a soul on, I also take on their entire family as my spiritual children.”  With all the miracles we experienced, we know St. Padre Pio is keeping his promises.  St. Pio said, “When I am in heaven, I will be able to do more.”

The Nashville Padre Pio prayer group as Spiritual Children of St. Padre Pio continues this call today as a community to meet in prayer in a world that so desperately needs it.  As Padre Pio stated, “Prayer is the best weapon we have, and the key to God’s heart.”

This prayer group has been officially sanctioned by the Diocese of Nashville and registered by the International Center of the Padre Pio Prayer Groups in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.

If you like to have the relics of St Padre Pio come to your parish/ministry/prayer group please feel free to contact us:

Group Details:

Spiritual Director:  Father Ed Steiner

Meeting Place: Saint Philip Catholic Church

113 2nd Ave South

Franklin, TN 37064

Phone: 615-794-8588

Group Leader:   Paul T Chen

Contact email: TMAJCHEN@YAHOO.COM

Meeting Time: First Saturday of Every Month – You may join in at anytime….

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. – Adoration, Confession, Music, Rosary, Padre Pio Prayers

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. – Mass

9:30 am – 11:00 a.m. – Speaker, Discussion, Veneration of St Pio Relic and Closing

Website:

www.padrepionashville.blog

13 thoughts on “About Our Group”

  3. Although I am far away in California, I am so happy to know about your beautiful group. I love the history of how you began and the way God and Padre Pio have been so good to you, introducing you to those close to Padre Pio and bringing relics to you. May our dear and loving Padre always draw you closer to Jesus our Love!

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  4. Hello

    My name is Stephen Mcdonagh from
    Dublin Ireland please reply if you can
    I’m requesting a copy off your book and some padre pio feathers if possible i know its a big ask off you I’d cherish them with my full heart and soul thats a promise never to let them go I’m praying to padre pio that this finds you soon

    My Address is Stephen Mcdonagh
    8 Tara lawns Belcamp
    Coolock Dublin 17 D17RP73 Ireland

    I have a story to tell 10 weeks a go 2 co workers tried lifting a double stacked pallet with me and failed and laughed and let it fall on me im in constant pain both legs and lower back no relief no medical insurance either next Thursday hopefully please God 7am I will have appointment to get an mri scan after going to the hospital 4 times in 2 weeks please God it ain’t no severe Damage

    I also damaged my shoulder my neck hurts all the time got used to living with that
    Later get h pylori in the gut & stomach erosions awaiting surgery at some point

    In 2016 I lost a job then later got really sick turned out to be depressed and severe anxiety 6 months I stayed looking at the roof no taking no eating no life just wanted to die couldn’t sleep eat notting life was over I suppose but my wife admitted me to hospital where I left after later she forced me back into work 🙃 some how she helped my symptoms was not as severe no more my life started getting better I assumed untill all those above happened

    I also suffer sometimes with unknown pain all over my body everyday everything hurt
    Also get headaches that last for weeks I do really try in life to provide and do my best for my family I have 1 daughter 7 we got bad news that we may never have any other children due to me being less fertility issue

    Our marriage falling apart since my mental health issues began in 2016 we live together i love her with all off me we have many issues we need to work on

    Before all this began I went too a healing service and my faith got stronger
    I prayed upon hours a day I’d smell roses in random places I prayed rosary chapet Divine mercy chapet too st Micheal and Holly spirit and many other prayers I’ve read the saints

    Now I want to mention this may seem strange people will always think I made it up are dreamt it as stated I was really close to God at this stage few events happened in 2014 2015 I pray the rosary before I sleep every night later at middle off the night a tall man would stand over my bed
    I’m scared this went on for weeks months even I felt dragging at me some times wake up felt as if I was being choked are getting beating nights id go to bed id wake up in the morning with my rosary wrapped on my hand maybe did it my self without knowing? But here’s the experience thst I swear by happened 1 night normally day I went to bed said my rosary when finished I wrapped it in my right hand for protection I fell asleep as you do later I was awoken I felt as if I was floating to the roof I think I may have left my body ? As soon as this happens my eyes was stook towards the roof I was speaking to someone & nodding my head my lips was moving I was taking but no sound I smelled roses I did feel this was a woman we talked I don’t know what about i felt peace I staterd to cry tears but I was happy I felt happy tears immediately I nodded my head as to say yes ? I fell back to sleep happy full off joy to this day I do not know what we spoke about this is my testimonial to my truths

    Dosnt end I dreamed off places I’ve never seen before I heard the crys off children crying in pain I don’t now how are why

    He never left me alone stayed shadowing me 1 night every laughed at this but it is true my wife and my mom next door heard my screams and crying I ft him stand over me in my bed and as I normally do I pretend I don’t know and I’m asleep om scared off like anyone would be I know many movies the way they show you how something evel sounds I don’t want too say his name but this voice was not like anything you could make in a movie are on earth 4 simple words he said WHY ARE YOU AWAKE I screamed and crying telling my wife his back his back his there his there I was shaking in fear

    He was very awful experiencing it I pray if ur not from God go away I think he did
    But since I have so much psin and sufferings

    Another thing may I forget I had a strong connection for the souls in purgatory I always Had prayed for them I felt them somehow if that make any sense at all I dreamt off them alot too so I prayed alot for them

    I really hope you remember me in yours prayers and if padre pio wants me to have this book and feathers it will happen

    Please email me a response hope you are well

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  5. I would love to join your group as I am in Memphis.
    Please pray for the soul of my son Drew who was asleep when a home invasion resulted in his murder by the criminals. He died saving the life of his girlfriend and friends. May Drew in heaven with God forever and my myself, husband and our other 3 child all get to be together in heaven for eternity.
    May God send us a unifying and healing sign about the safety of the soul soul of my child Drew

    Thank you
    Keith Rainet

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