A Congregation’s Support for the PEDIATRIC ED
PADRE PIO was a humble priest living in a monastery in an extremely poor village in southern Italy. He became known for his miraculous healing and stigmata, as well as his physical contributions to the community in the form of an orphanage and the founding of Casa Sollievo della Sofferenca , a private scientific research hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo and one of the premier hospitals in Europe. He was canonized in 2002 and is often called one the world’s most popular saints.
In devotion to Padre Pio, the St . Bede the Venerable congregation hosts an annual festival in hi s honor, bringing thousands of pilgrims from near and fa r together for a celebration of his spiritual, social, and cultural impact . The festival, now in its fourth year, is held in September and includes special worship services, live music, carnival games and rides, a community picnic, a Feast Day mass and street procession.
The volunteer committee leading the efforts decided to use this opportunity to raise support for their own local hospital and in honor of Padre Pio’s care for those in need and his compass i on for children, they directed the proceeds of the festival to St. Mary’s Pediatric Emergency Department .
The Pediatric Emergency Department at St. Mary was expanded in 2013 as the final phase of the Emergency Department and Trauma Center renovation and expansion. The unit was designed to create a reassuring family environment and more kid friendly experience for the thousands of young patients seen each year. The department is staffed day and night with physicians and nurses specially trained in pediatric emergencies.
Thanks to the generosity of donors like the community at St. Bede the Venerable, the department also has the latest technology to support fast diagnosis and recovery including a pediatric resuscitation room equipped to provide critical care needs for injuries and other medical emergencies.
padrepiofestivalhollandpa.com 