is lifetime as a spiritual director to many souls all over the world. What if you, too, could receive his guidance and counsel? You will find just that in the treasures of his letters, written about 100 years ago to his spiritual directors and to his spiritual daughters.

Dearest Soul offers spiritual guidance for every soul in Padre Pio's own words, drawn from those letters. This book illustrates his journey as a prophet of our time, as one who is so similar and yet so different from us. Fr. John Aurilia, OFM Cap., who served as Padre Pio's secretary in 1967, shows us the human side of a difficult saint. Padre Pio is a great master in guiding us through life, and we love him because he was one of us, a person full of fears, conflicts, joy, pain, success, discouragement, and hope. Most of all, he was a man of prayer and contemplation, which overshadowed and gave support to all his other gifts. Padre Pio faced many challenges in his spiritual journey and, in doing so, taught us how to make our journey.