The photograph above features Bishop Earl Boyea dedicating 40 acres of land near Howell, donated by the Diocese of Lansing, for use by Catholic Healthcare International for their Casa USA project upon the Feast of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, September 23, 2020.
The Casa USA project aims to create a network of new Catholic health facilities, inspired by Padre Pio's Home for the Relief of Suffering in Italy, that will be spread across the United States but with its spiritual heart located within the Diocese of Lansing. Upon this World Day of Prayer for the Sick, here's an update from Jere Palazzolo, President of Catholic Healthcare International, on the Casa USA project.
"The Casa USA project began with a miracle and continues on through prayer. The foundation and heart of the hospital, medical school, and home for the brain injured is built on prayer. We have three Padre Pio prayer groups in the Diocese; St. Joseph in Howell, Holy Spirit in Hamburg, and St. Mary Star of the Sea in Jackson. There is a Worldwide Adoration team where people from all over the globe pray before the Blessed Sacrament in their hometown weekly for the Casa."
"The Prayer foundation will be centered here in the Lansing Diocese, at the Padre Pio Prayer Campus in Howell, MI. A replica of the small church where St. Pio prayed and received his stigmata will be built as soon as the Religious Liberty case is concluded. We hope to have the necessary $5 million in the bank ready to go when our right to worship on that land is restored."
"The Home for the Relief of Suffering hospital is making progress as we work toward collaborations behind the scenes. Please pray that the path is made clear and straight so this hospital, along with the Terri Schiavo Home for the Brain injured can open soon to serve the sick and suffering with dignity. As St. Pio said, his greatest ‘work’ was service to those suffering…the ‘twice Jesus'."
"The Saint Padre Pio School for the Relief of Suffering, College of Osteopathic Medicine is currently fundraising to apply for accreditation, hire a dean, and begin the process to open a truly faithful Catholic medical school that educates and provides formation to physicians, in a faithful Catholic framework, to treat the sick, relieve suffering, and thereby evangelize the Good News of Jesus Christ. We hope to enroll students in 2025 or 2026."
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, pray for them!
Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for them!
To find out more, go to: https://www.chi-usa.com/