St. Padre Pio: The Matchmaker?

St. Padre Pio the matchmaker? The holy priest who had the stigmata for 50 years led a couple to marriage. The couple, now residing in Somers, Connecticut, met back in the 1960s when visiting the friary of St. Padre Pio. They kept in touch and visited after this original meeting. Germain Bianchi wanted to marry the young woman, Ortrud, but she was not so sure. One more visit to see Padre Pio changed all that. The couple says what happened next was a miracle. During that time, the pilgrims would wait for the holy priest’s blessings in separate parlours: one for men, another for the women. Ortrud and Germain were both pulled from their respective crowd and taken to a private area. Both were surprised that the other was there too. Just then, Padre Pio walked in, placed his hands on both of their heads, and gave them a blessing. They took it as sign they were to marry.

Crossroads Magazine will have the whole story this Saturday at 10:30 a.m. on WTXX, and 10:30 p.m. on My TV 9. Tune in for this inspiring story of a Connecticut couple and a modern day saint.

You can read Ortrud's description of this romance story here.

Photo Courtesy: PPPG.org (Padre Pio Prayer Groups).

Chastity with Jason Evert

Sex is everywhere these days, and many parents, Catholic and otherwise, are at a loss as to how to guide their children to make the right decisions as they begin to grow up in what's become a very different and more fast-paced world than ever before.

Jason Evert is a world-renowned speaker on teenage sex and chasity, and to help parents in their mission to educate their youngsters, Saint Paul High School in Bristol invited him to speak to hundreds of students there, in a school-wide assembly in March.

Getting Jason was no easy task. School leaders say they were on a two-year waiting list. The speaker is so effective, schools and organizations all over the country have him speak to their youth. Since he can't be everywhere at once, Jason has also written several books, like Pure Love and Romance Without Regret, and he has even made DVDs, to help children in their journey into adulthood.

With funny stories, lively anecdotes and a penchant for talking like a teenager himself, Jason Evert seems to really connect with the kids. He says he started by trying to talk women out of abortions, and his career took shape from there. He now talks to more than 100,000 students a year.

Click here to hear some of Jason's talk yourself, and see what all the fuss is about. If you'd like to see where Jason will be next, you can go to his website, http://www.chastity.com/