My Saint and Word of the Year: St. Padre Pio and the Grace of Immersion

With the beginning of this new year, I have been reflecting on the ways God is inviting me to grow in holiness and wholeness. Part of this reflection includes the process of our family choosing a saint and a word of the year. We use Jen Fulwiler’s saint generator website, but first we ask the Holy Spirit to inspire:

Which saint will walk with me?

What word will shape this year?

This year, my saint is St. Padre Pio, and my word is immerse.

The pairing feels anything but accidental.

Padre Pio has been popping up in my path a lot lately and I laughed when I saw his name on the screen! A quote, a picture, a mention of him by family or friends…no coincidence. He is not a saint of spiritual shortcuts or lofty theology. To me, he is a saint of simplicity…of prayer, of suffering, of fidelity to daily duty. He invites you not to skim the surface of your life but to go deep: into prayer, into love, into the ordinary daily rhythms God has gifted you.

This quote attributed to him has been echoing in my heart:

“Live simply. Eat simply. Love one another simply. Do not complicate matters unnecessarily. How do you live simply? You remove activities that are not necessary or that pull you away from duty. Consider your duty.Then move through each day and try to serve only that duty.Have order in your life and in the life of your family. There should be a rhythm to each day that does not change.Rise at the same time. Retire at the same time in the evening.Pray at the same time.This creates an environment in which you are free to consider God.” ~St. Padre Pio

There is so much freedom hidden inside these words.

Simplicity Is Clarity

When Padre Pio talks about simplicity, it is not a call to do less for the sake of comfort. He calls us to do less so we can do what matters more fully.

Simplicity, in the Christian sense, is the courageous act of naming our duties, our true responsibilities before God, and letting everything else fall into its proper place. It is clarity of purpose and mission.

Ask yourself:

What pulls me away from my duty?

What distracts rather than deepens?

What complicates what God is asking me to live simply and faithfully today?

These can be uncomfortable questions…but holy ones that will lead to true depth and simplicity.

Immersion Requires Order

My word for the year, immerse, hits me right between my heart and soul. It is calling me to be fully present to what God has already entrusted to me. It is definitely not about adding more spiritual practices or cramming more into my days. I already have enough of that!

This immersion I am being called to is going to require more rhythm and order.

Padre Pio understood that a soul cannot go deep if it is constantly fragmented. Putting the pieces back together creates order. Order creates space. Space creates rhythm. Rhythm creates freedom. And freedom is the trellis that allows this weary vine room to grow. Freedom leads to predictable prayer times, consistent resting and waking, surrendered and ordered days, and most importantly…integration, peace and availability to God to do whatever it is that is next.

Serving the Duty of the Day

One of the most striking lines in this quote is simple and direct:

“Move through each day and try to serve only that duty.”

Not yesterday’s duty.

Not tomorrow’s imagined responsibilities.

Today’s duty.

This is immersion at its finest: giving yourself wholly to what is right in front of you. Parenting, marriage, work, prayer, service…done with love and attentiveness. It does not have to be perfect or complicated.

Padre Pio lived an extraordinary life, yet he was relentlessly faithful to ordinary discipline. That fidelity is what made room for the miraculous in his life.

Choosing Your Own Saint and Word

If you have never chosen a saint of the year or a word of the year, I highly recommend it as a gentle, prayerful practice. It gives shape to the year ahead without rigid expectations. Use the link above as a starting point. Sometimes the saint you receive feels random…until you realize, months later, just how personally they have been interceding for you all along.

You might ask:

• What virtue do I long to grow in this year?

• What season of life am I in?

• What feels inviting?

  
  

Then let the Holy Spirit do the rest.

Walking Forward With Padre Pio

As I step into this year, I want to immerse myself not by doing more, but by loving more deeply and simply. By embracing rhythm. By honoring duty. By creating space where God can be considered daily, not just occasionally.

St. Padre Pio reminds us that holiness is not complicated. It is demanding, yes…but beautifully simple.

Live simply.

Pray faithfully.

Serve the duty of the day.

And trust that God will meet you there.

An Invitation to Grow ~ Together

If this reflection resonates with you, if the past year has left you stretched, weary, or quietly longing for renewal, I want you to know something important: this work of growing in wholeness and holiness was never meant to be done alone.

It does not matter how educated you are, how spiritually formed you may be, or how many years you have spent serving others. Every woman needs space to be seen, accompanied, and gently guided as she listens for how God is moving in her life now. Even the most faithful among us benefit from walking alongside someone who can help us notice patterns, name graces, and discern next steps with clarity and compassion.

As we begin this new year, I am opening a limited-time invitation to work with me through one of two coaching offerings:

Temperament and/or Charism Coaching Special - 4 one-on-one sessions for $199 (available through the end of January). This is a beautiful entry point if you desire deeper self-knowledge, how God uniquely designed you, how your temperament shapes your relationships and prayer, and how your charisms are meant to be lived and offered in this season.

The Foundation Coaching Program - 6 one-on-one sessions for $299 (available through the end of January). This program is for women who sense God inviting them into deeper integration of faith and daily life, healing and growth, discernment and action. Together, we lay a strong foundation rooted in truth, freedom, and intentional living. Becoming the woman you were made to be…with patience, grace, and support along the way.

If you feel a quiet nudge as you read this, I encourage you to listen. Hope often begins there.

You can learn more or book a session by clicking the underlined links above or by visiting my website at: integratedlife.co

I would be honored to walk with you.