L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D e a r R e a d e r s , F a t h e r ' s D a y i s c e l e b r a t e d i n June, hence some "Italian Connections" from my paternal side: Antonio Meucci "invent- ed the telephone," my father used to say, but of course all we little Italian-American kids had learned the inventor was Alexander Graham Bell. On June 11, 2002 the US, The House of Representatives p a s s e d a b i l l c r e d i t i n g Antonio Meucci for his piv- otal role in the invention of t h e t e l e p h o n e . H o u s e Resolution 269, co-sponsored b y C o n g r e s s m a n V i t o Fossella, Jr, (R-NY) and Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), states, "That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the life and achievements of Antonio Meucci should be recognized, and his work in the invention of the telephone should be a c k n o w l e d g e d . " H o u s e Resolution 269 is the first official government recogni- tion of Meucci's role in devel- oping one of the most impor- tant inventions in modern history. In the latter half of t h e 1 9 t h c e n t u r y , M e u c c i worked on what he called the teletrofono, conducting experiments at his home in Staten Island, NY, but he lacked the financial resources to obtain a patent. Because Meucci's invention was not legally protected, Alexander G r a h a m B e l l w a s a b l e t o claim it as his own. *** Padre Pio (1887-1968) was canonized on June 16, 2002 and is now officially Saint Padre Pio. No communion rail regu- lar, my late father Vincenzo was nonetheless an ardent devotee of Padre Pio. In the early 1960s, together with other pro-Padre Pio "pae- s a n i , " h e w e n t t o S a n Giovanni Rotondo (Foggia), Italy, to hear him say Mass. " P a d r e P i o " w a s born Francesco Forgione n e a r N a p l e s i n 1 8 8 7 a n d served as a military chaplain during World War I. After the war, he returned to his monastery in Puglia, and quickly developed a reputa- tion for exceptional holiness. D u r i n g W o r l d W a r I I many of our US military per- sonnel met Padre Pio in per- son because during the war the US Air Force had a large Air Base near Bari. Among those who saw Padre Pio say mass in Italy in 1944, was a young man from Findlay, Ohio. Robert Billmayer was a young 19-year-old skeptical Air Force sergeant stationed in Italy during World War II, when he and a buddy decided to check out a phenome- non they had read about in the Stars and Stripes military newspaper. It was 1944 and an Italian priest named Padre Pio was reportedly attracting crowds at a church in San Giovanni Rotondo because he bore the stigmata – the wounds of Christ on his hands. Several miracles had been reported as a result of his prayers and he also was said to be able to predict events in the future and tell people their sins. When he and his friend a r r i v e d i n S a n G i o v a n n i Rotondo for the 6 am Mass, the church was already filled. They tried around back and, thanks to Mr. Billmayer's buddy, who spoke Italian, they were unexpectedly ush- ered inside and told to kneel at the altar steps. When it came time for Padre Pio to wash his hands in prepara- tion for communion, the two servicemen were directed to hand the priest a set of cruets containing water and wine and to hold a bowl so that water could be poured over his fingers. For the entire Mass, they w e r e a b l e t o o b s e r v e t h e priest at close range. At the prayers of consecration pre- c e d i n g c o m m u n i o n , M r . B i l l m a y e r s a i d , a p a i r o f black, fingerless gloves were removed from Padre Pio's h a n d s . U n d e r e a c h w a s a w h i t e f i n g e r l e s s m i t t e n , w h i c h a l s o w a s r e m o v e d . During the prayers, blood began to ooze from wounds i n t h e p r i e s t ' s h a n d s . " A priest assisting him had a bowl with cotton in it and Advancing our Legacy: Italian Community Services CASA FUGAZI If you know of any senior of Italian descent in San Francisco needing assistance, please contact: ItalianCS.org | (415) 362-6423 | info@italiancs.com Italian Community Services continues to assist Bay Area Italian-American seniors and their families navigate and manage the resources needed to live healthy, independent and productive lives. Since Shelter-in-Place began in San Francisco, Italian Community Services has delivered over 240 meals, over 900 care packages and made over 2000 phone wellness checks for our seniors. every so often, he would daub a t t h e w o u n d s , " M r . Billmayer recalled. After the Mass, about 150 people timed up to have him hear their c o n f e s s i o n s . W h i l e M r . Billmayer and his friend were looking on, an old man came out of the confessional with Padre Pio following him. "He was telling him he didn't con- fess all his sins and he'd bet- ter come back in!" A f t e r h e v i s i t e d S a n G i o v a n n i R o t o n d o , M r . Billmayer became a believer i n w h a t h e h a d s e e n a n d began reading more about the popular Italian priest. H e a l s o s t a r t e d c o r r e - s p o n d i n g w i t h t h e f r i a r y where Padre Pio lived and later with the National Center pro Padre Pio in Barto, PA. When he had knee surgery he asked Padre Pio to be with him before he went under the anesthetic. "When I awoke in the recovery room, there was a light fragrance in the air so I knew the surgery was suc- c e s s f u l . " H e a l s o r e c a l l s smelling a sweet scent when he was at Padre Pio's Mass many years ago. "I thought someone in the group had perfume on, but during the prayers of consecration, the f r a g r a n c e b e c a m e m o r e intense." A s a d e a c o n a t S t . Michael's Church in Findlay, M r . B i l l m a y e r h a s t a l k e d about Padre Pio and his expe- rience with him. H i s f r i e n d M r . G e r a r d Rusch is the founder and c o o r d i n a t o r o f P a d r e P i o groups. Mr. Rusch started the Padre Pio Ohio prayer group, which is one of about 60 in the United States and 9,500 worldwide.

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