Bayside Parish Begins New Neighborhood Tradition

By Stefanie Gutierrez

Stefanie Gutierrez Photos 

A procession and Mass honoring St. Padre Pio at St. Josaphat, Bayside, may become an annual event in the Queens parish.

Men from the parish carried a statue of the saint, standing on a bed of roses and carnations, throughout the streets of Bayside on Saturday, Aug. 4.

Parishioners from the neighboring parishes of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament and Sacred Heart, both in Bayside, were also present.

A Family’s Devotion

The procession was the first for a statue of St. Padre Pio, recently given to the parish by parishioners Achilles and Gina DiLibero and dedicated “in loving memory” of their son, Robert. They were excited at how many people came out on the hot Saturday afternoon.

“I really don’t know how Padre Pio got into my heart, but he did, and I am devoted to him,” Achilles said. Gina added later, “We have a lot of faith in Padre Pio, and we wanted to honor him.”

Three women holding baskets of rose pedals led the procession of more than 400 people. The General Stephen Moylan Assembly No. 715 Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus escorted the statue.

Many participants carried rosaries in one hand and bottles of water in the other, while a few umbrellas dotted the crowd, shading people from the hot sun. The Rosary was recited over a loud speaker, carried by a parishioner so that everyone could pray in unison. When the Rosary was over, Tony and Son’s Festival Band from Long Island played Italian favorites.

Many people in the procession shared stories of their special devotion to St. Pio. Francesca Cicio, a parishioner at St. Luke, Whitestone, came to the procession and Mass with her daughter Lucia and granddaughter Luciana. Francesca prayed to the saint when Luciana was born premature and weighed only one pound, three ounces. “Padre Pio interceded for my granddaughter, and I pray to him all of the time.” When Francesca concluded, eight-year-old Luciana asked her grandmother, “Can we go pray to Padre Pio, now?”

SRO Crowd

Genevieve Codik, a parishioner at St. Josaphat and member of the Our Lady of Guadalupe-St. Padre Pio Prayer Group, helped usher as the church filled to standing room only after the procession. She said, “I thank God for our parish family, and I am rejoicing at this wonderful event. We are celebrating our tradition.”

Auxiliary Bishop Frank Caggiano concelebrated the Mass with Father Thomas Machalski, pastor, and Father Aurelio, a visiting priest from Italy. At the beginning of the Mass, two parishioners from St. Josaphat presented Bishop Caggiano with flowers and bread, a Polish custom of the parish that was established 97 years ago.

Father Machalski said, “The flowers are a symbol of our sharing the beauty of God’s creation with our visitor, and the bread is a staple of life given to us by God to nourish us both physically and spiritually.”

From top, men of St. Josaphat’s parish in Bayside carry the statue of St. Padre Pio through the streets of the Queens neighborhood during the first celebration in honor of the saint. Almost 400 parishioners from Bayside congregations joined the procession, many saying the Rosary as they walked through the streets. Back at St. Josaphat’s Church, Auxiliary Bishop Frank Caggiano and Father Thomas Machalski, pastor, celebrated a Mass in honor of the Italian friar.

During the homily, Bishop Caggiano spoke of Padre Pio by saying, “He is a saint of our time, and there are people alive today, even in this parish, who have actually met him. Like St. Francis of Assisi, Padre Pio gave up not just his property, but also his life, to the Lord Jesus… We must follow the way in which he lived.”

Following the final blessing and installation of the statue, people prayed to the saint and asked for his intercession in many areas of their lives.

Asked if the procession and Mass will become an annual event, Father Machalski replied, “An overwhelming number of people have asked us if we will do it again next year, and we are going to seriously consider it.”