Pius of St. Aloysius (Campidelli) was born on April 29, 1868, at Trebbio (Italy) and was the son of farmers. It was through a parish mission that he came to know the Passionists. He received the Passionist habit on May 27, 1882 and made his first vows on April 20, 1884.
While preparing for Ordination, he was afflicted with a grave illness. He died on November 2, 1889 at age 21 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 17, 1985.
On March 2, the Church celebrates Ash Wednesday.
Most of us learned early in our Catholic lives that Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, and that is a time of special sacrifice in preparation for the Easter celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection.
Dear brothers and sisters, every moment of our lives is a time for believing, hoping and loving…. These words of Pope Francis, taken from his Lenten Message of last year, 2021, and echoing the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity, can still inspire our answer to the question: “What am I giving up for Lent?”
We can draw our Lenten sacrifices out of our daily life:
Share our faith in God’s presence by sharing in prayer with our family or with those in our parish community.
Share our hope in God’s promises by encouraging positive and respectful dialogue in our family circle and among our friends.
Share the charity God has bestowed on us in the Passion of Jesus, with those whose sufferings are ignored or aggravated.
Let us pray for one another as we enter the season of Lent. Our Passionist “motto” can be our daily prayer during Lent, “May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts.”
