And this is the story of the efficacy or the effectiveness of Padre Pio's relics.
And here we're going to have a look at a miracle that took place because of some relics of
Padre Pio.
Please do stay tuned to find out more about this miracle.
Hello friends, and welcome to this channel, Following Padre Pio.
We're through a series of short stories.
We investigate the life of our great Saint Padre Pio Capuchin friar, mystic, and a tremendous
miracle worker.
Do stay tuned to find out more about Padre Pio and also to see what his intercession
could do for you.
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In this story, the year is 2003, and we are in Derry, Northern Ireland.
And we are looking at the story, the miracle of David Doherty.
Now, up until this point, David had considered himself to be quite a healthy individual,
when he was suddenly and unexpectedly out of the blue, he was diagnosed with a heart
condition that needed triple bypass heart surgery.
David of course, was absolutely shocked now.
His life had taken this turn he didn't expect.
He was operated on in Glasgow National Hospital.
So, in a very good facility there.
And the doctors were happy after the operation.
They considered that it had been a success.
But then later on, little complications set in and they said now that a second surgery
was necessary, was unavoidable.
But this situation did not improve after the second surgery.
And David's health started to spiral.
A week later, David was back in ICU and he was now drifting into and drifting out of
a coma.
And it was explained to his wife, Isabel, the doctors explained to her that David could
in fact, pass away at any moment and that she should immediately call all the family
together, that they could pay their last visit.
And so that is how it was.
Time is up for David and unexpectedly, like a thief in the night, death is arriving.
Two days later, David was now on a ventilator, infection had set in and was spreading around
his body and none of the antibiotics could do anything to stop the spread.
Septicemia began, kidney failure followed, and shortly after that, he was diagnosed with
multiple organ failure.
At this point, the doctors gave up.
They said there is nothing more they could do.
So science had done everything that it possibly could do.
And now, at this point of finality in David's life, his daughter made inquiries around the
place, is there anyone can help?
And she discovered that there was some of Padre Pio's, one of his gloves that he wore
on his hands and a bandage that had covered his stigmata, that had touched the stigmata,
was in the area.
She arranged that these relics would be brought into the hospital, there into the ICU, and
they were placed on David's chest, while everyone around recited the rosary right there in the
ICU.
And now they were pleading to God.
They were asking Padre Pio, please, to intercede for them, to help.
So, is this superstition, we could ask.
Bring in relics into a hospital?
And here we can refer to scriptures in Acts chapter 19, God did extraordinary miracles
through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to
the sick and they were cured of their illness and evil spirits left him.
It's exactly the same thing, this part of our Catholic heritage here.
We call it relics nowadays.
And now back in the hospital.
That evening, David's son, Georgie, when he was leaving the hospital and he was traveling
in the elevator, he unexpectedly noticed there was suddenly this fragrance in the air, in
the elevator.
It was like a perfume.
And he turned to his sisters and said, did you notice that?
They said they did not notice anything.
And that was on the Friday afternoon.
The very next day, now it's Saturday, obviously, and the priest came in right there into the
ICU and he gave David the last rites, the final blessing on his journey.
On Sunday, the doctor said there had been a very slight change, a slight improvement
in David's condition.
Then on Monday, the doctors called his wife Isabella aside and said, this is amazing.
The changes we are seeing, your husband's condition, he is getting better.
And David had to remain in ICU for a further three weeks, but every day they could see
improvements.
And after nine weeks, David was now released from the hospital.
He was sent home to recuperate.
And he spent many, many months recuperating.
But everyone was astonished, was amazed to see the recovery that was taking place.
And then later on, they had this discussion with David, his family had this discussion.
And when they told David about Padre Pio's glove and the bandage that had been brought
into the hospital and laid on his chest, and then a spiritual experience that David had
had in the hospital suddenly took on meaning.
And he shared this story with his family and they were all amazed while they listened.
David explained that while he was lying in the hospital bed, so this is right back after
the surgery, and he experienced himself already dead.
And he saw himself in his coffin in a small village, he said, just outside Derry.
And he watched his own wake.
His family and friends came to pay their last respects.
And thereafter would be the funeral.
That would be the end.
And David saw his coffin being placed into the back of the hearse and being driven to
Derry.
And then around him, he saw fields stretching for miles and miles in every direction and
to his horror, this is what he saw awaited him, everywhere, he could just see bodies
that were crawling around in the mud and everything was so bleak and dreary and depressing and
colorless.
And then this thought struck him, is this where I am going to spend my eternity?
While he was thinking this, a loud, booming voice called out, "Get out, get out and save
some souls."
And next, after this, David saw himself back in the coffin in the hearse, but the hearse
pulled over to the side of the road and stopped.
And the hearse assistant there turned to the driver and asked, why have we stopped?
And the driver responded, because he has been given a second chance.
And so, that was David's experience in his near death state, which suddenly made sense
in light of the relics.
"Get out, get out and save some souls."
This really stuck in his mind.
And some of the nurses who had been present when the relics were brought in, they had
in fact, noticed some sort of change happen in David.
It was something perceptible, but inexplicable.
So now David's made a full recovery health wise.
But let's look at the change in the rest of David's life.
We could say the fruits that this brought out.
Now, before this, David had known, before his experience, David had known practically
nothing about Padre Pio.
And prior to his heart surgery, David had been forced to retire from work, and it was
10 years earlier and it was due to arthritis.
But his spiritual priorities were really on the back burner.
He attended Sunday mass.
That was it, nothing extra.
He was very devoted to his family, to his wife and to his five children.
But he neglected completely to develop any further at this relationship with God, no
extra prayers, no confession, not even in the last year, the very minimum, but this
is how it changed afterwards.
This effect of this miracle, apart from the healing, there was also this spiritual turnaround
in his life.
And so, the family rosary became central, became a daily routine.
And he liked to attend weekday mass.
That became a joy to him.
And he developed a real deep interior life with our Lord.
And his family, this effect didn't just stop with him, his family changed too.
And they started taking up various charitable ministries.
Now David has seen many blessings from this very close shave with death, but he still
wondered in his mind what the meaning of that insistent, that booming voice was that he
had heard.
"Get up, get up and save some souls."
What could it mean?
It really stuck in him and kind of worked on him.
Should he be doing something?
And then one day the answer came to him.
He was now attending a prayer meeting, a prayer group of Padre Pio's.
And at this meeting, he began to reflect, wouldn't it be good to have such a Padre Pio
prayer group in our own parish?
So he started to work on that and he spoke to the local Bishop who gave him permission
and the parish priest too, they were both very happy.
And their first meeting took place in 2005.
For this meeting, David had prepared a little prayer book on his computer, some prayers
of Padre Pio.
And from then on, this prayer book was used at every meeting.
And this went on for a while.
And over the years, the prayer group increased steadily, it grew.
And next, there was a sister Mel from Dublin who'd heard about this pre group.
She contacted David and said, couldn't he help her to set a group like this up in her
parish.
And they met and David brought some books and gave all the assistants that he could.
And now sister Mel's group is going very well in Dublin.
And then another young woman from Dungiven invited David too, as well, to come and help
her to set up a group in her parish.
And he's had further requests from further afield from England and from other places.
And now in summary, when David reflects on his situation, he concludes, my life, my family's
life has taken a direction that I would never have thought possible.
I feel that I would not be here if it were not for the prayers and the intercession of
Padre Pio.
Now just being alive, makes me happy.
And then coming soon on the Following Padre Pio channel, we asked this question, Padre
Pio, was he favorable to the religious habit?
Does it add to or take away from their spiritual life?
So let's have a look at Padre Pio's comments.
Do join us for that.
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