Actor turned singer Robert Davi has teamed with the Saint Pio Foundation to produce a song to raise funds for the charity. The song and its accompanying music video were recorded as a message of peace and hope in a time when the world pandemic has disrupted so many lives, with all proceeds from the song pledged to the Pio Foundation.
The tune, “Meraviglioso,” which means “Wonderful,” was first recorded by singer/songwriter Domenico Modugno in 1968. The Pio Foundation explained in a press release:
[“Meraviglioso”] tells the story of a man in deep despair, about to end his life by throwing himself off a bridge. He gets stopped by an angel with human appearance, who convinces the man not to commit suicide, but just look around instead, to see all the beauty that the world has to offer. Pain and sorrow are part of that, too. The song is therefore a perfect hymn to life and faith.
Davi joined the Saint Pio Foundation in 2015 as a good will ambassador. At the time, Davi released a video (featured below) accepting this role within the charitable organization, in which he explained that as a young man he was hospitalized and experienced what his doctors called a miraculous recovery. This healing Davi attributes to St. Pio of Pietrelcina. He said:
“When I was a young man, I was facing death in a hospital when my mom and friends of my family got in touch with Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo, in Foggia, and I received then what I believe, and I think even the doctor said, to be a miracle. So through my life, he has been a guide, a light, and I hope he can do the same for all of you out there. The work that he has done for the poor … what the hospital has done for the poor … this is, for me, one of the miracles of Saint Pio.”
A prolific actor, Robert Davi has more than 160 acting credits to his name, appearing in such blockbuster hits as The Goonies and Die Hard. He launched his singing career in 2011 to great success with his first album Davi Sings Sinatra — On the Road to Romance, which reached #6 on Billboard’s jazz charts. Within six months of the release, Davi had booked a stint singing at the Venetian in Las Vegas, and the classically trained Italian-American vocalist has had steady work ever since.
Of the release of “Meraviglioso,” Davi told the Saint Pio Foundation:
“As we faced and continue to face so many challenges during these times, I thought that it was just fitting to record this song, which I love very much, that is very uplifting, and to support at the same time the Saint Pio Foundation, which promotes the legacy of Padre Pio, a saint so dear to me and who cured me though prayer when I was a teenager. Perhaps Padre Pio himself guided me to this song, as it is interesting to note that Modugno first performed it in 1968, the same year Padre Pio left this earth.”
“Meraviglioso” can be heard on YouTube (featured above), on the channel of the Saint Pio Foundation, which will benefit from each view. They do, however, offer a more tangible way to help raise funds by means of mp3 downloads. Each download costs about $1, and all such donations will go to support the Pio Foundation in their charitable endeavors.
According to its website, funds raised by the Saint Pio Foundation “are used to support healthcare, educational, social, religious, and cultural initiatives aimed to influence and advance the public’s knowledge about the teachings, legacy, and importance of Saint Pio.”
Click here to download Davi’s “Meraviglioso” and support the Saint Pio Foundation. Then, click here for an English translation of the Italian lyrics.
And today we celebrate...