Saint Pio of Pietrelcina:

Feast day : 23 September

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, lovingly called ‘Padre Pio, who lived during the period 1887-1968. He was an Italian Friar of the Order of Capuchin who was abundantly blessed with several mystical gifts and extraordinary graces. The most popular of his gifts was the visible stigmata which he bore for 50 years of his life. All his life he had an enormous share of sufferings and some of the worst spiritual attacks. Nevertheless, he endured them patiently overcoming them through constant prayer. 40 years after his death, when his body was exhumed it was found to be incorrupt. He was canonized on 16 June 2002 by Pope John Paul II. During his lifetime on earth, he often said “After my death I will do more. My real mission will begin after my death.” True to his saying, Saint Padre Pio continues his work of uniting people to Christ which can be witnessed in the scores of miracles that continue to occur through his intercession.

Early life:

Saint Padre Pio was born as Francesco Forgione on May 25 1887 into a devout Catholic family in Pietrelcina, a hill country in southern Italy. His parents were poor farmers but though his father was illiterate, he knew all the stories of the Bible and would narrate it to his children. His mother too was greatly devoted to prayer and dedicated little Francesco to Jesus and the Madonna at the time of his baptism. Francesco was known to be devoted to prayer and often in communication with spiritual beings. When he was of ten years of age, a friar from the Capuchin friary in Morcone visited his village. Like all the young boys in his village, he loved the friar and eagerly hoped to become a Capuchin himself. When his parents enquired about the possibility of him joining the friary, they were told he needed to have more education for it. Since education was costly, his father migrated to the US to earn more money and provide for all their needs. Young Francesco pursued his education and in 1903 at the age of fifteen years he entered the novitiate of the Capuchin Order at Morcone. He took the name Pio. Later he had to move to the friary of Saint Francis of Assisi in Umbria for his further studies. During the years at the friary, his health began to deteriorate. He had spells of chronic bronchitis, severe headaches, raging fevers and uncontrollable vomiting. He would often have high fever that sometimes even broke the thermometer. As his mysterious illnesses could not be diagnosed by doctors, he was sent home to recuperate and continue his studies from home. Four years later, he was ordained a priest at the age of twenty three. After his ordination he was sent to Our Lady of Grace friary in San Giovanni Rotondo, a remote, impoverished village where he spent the next fifty years of his life till his death.

Mystical gifts & Vocational life:

Saint Padre Pio is believed to have had visions of the Blessed Virgin and Jesus from his early childhood. He often used to communicate with his guardian angel too. Early in his vocation, he would often ask Jesus to allow him to be a victim for sinners and for the souls in Purgatory. As he advanced in age, his mysterious illnesses and mystical experiences kept growing and he was blessed with more graces and gifts. In September 1910, when he was twenty three years of age, the stigmata first appeared on his hands in the form of small sores on the backs of the hands and on the palms. He showed the sores to his parish priest and informed him that when he had been praying at the family farm, Lord Jesus and the Blessed Virgin appeared and gave him the sores. The sores were mysterious and could not be effectively diagnosed by the doctor and mysteriously disappeared after he prayed for it along-with his parish priest. Since then, he was known to have acute pain in his hands and feet. He also experienced the pain of flagellation and the crown of thorns once a week. During his stay at home, people in Pietrelcina often heard strange sounds coming from his room in the night and in the morning he would appear bruised. These were the attacks from the devil.

On August 5 1918, when he was in the confessional, a Heavenly Being holding a weapon like an iron blade of fire appeared to him. The Heavenly Being cast the weapon into Padre Pio’s soul and he was left in utter terror and unbearable pain. Though the unbearable pain lasted for two days, it remained in his soul tormenting him for a long time. This was the mystical gift of transverberation or piercing of the heart.

A month later on September 20, 1918 he received the visible stigmata when he was in prayer meditating on the Passion of the Lord. He initially tried to conceal the wounds but soon word spread around. He later wrote of his experience to Fr. Benedetto saying that he had a vision of One who bled from his sides, feet and hands. After the vision withdrew, he realised that he bled from the same body sites of the One in the vision.

People flocked to San Giovanni to see the holy man who had several mystical gifts. He would spend hours in the confessional and his Holy Mass was known to be long as he appeared to be suffering along-with Jesus on Mount Calvary. Apart from the stigmata he had the ability to read souls, intercede for favours from the Lord, he had the gift of healing, gift of prophecy, bilocation and levitation. He used all his gifts for the conversion of sinners. Soon the large crowds at San Giovanni got the attention of Vatican too. Pope Pius XI opened a formal enquiry into the events at San Giovanni. There were several critics too, some from neighbouring clergy who found people from their parishes flocking to attend to Padre Pio's Holy Mass and Confession. They accused him of luring people away, using funds inappropriately and some of them even accused him of inappropriate behaviour with his female followers. The representatives from Vatican officially made a detailed enquiry into the stigmata that he had received. The final enquiry report was not in his favour.

In June 1922, the Holy Office acted against Padre Pio. He was ordered to conceal the stigmata both in word and deed. All correspondence with his followers and his superiors was severed. He was to perform Holy Mass with limited people. In 1931, he was shorn of all his priestly duties and was asked to celebrate Holy Mass in private. He accepted all these humiliations in silence, with humility and obedience. In 1933, Pope Pius XI ordered an enquiry and the restrictions were removed. He was now permitted to say public Masses. In 1934, he was permitted to hear confessions. Under the reign of Pope Pius XII, his ministry grew to its full potential. However when Pope John XXIII assumed office, another investigation was conducted and restrictions were re-imposed on him. Finally, Pope Paul VI dismissed these restrictions when he assumed office from 1963.

In 1925 Saint Padre Pio opened a small hospital called the Civil Hospital of Saint Francis in an abandoned Poor Clare Convent in San Giovanni for all those who were in need of medical help. It remained until 1938 when it was destroyed by an earthquake. During the Second World War, a number of American and British bases were set up near San Giovanni. The soldiers in these bases soon came to know about Padre Pio and attributed their safety to his prayers. When they returned back to their countries, they spread word about him and soon more people from around the world travelled to San Giovanni to attend Holy Mass and make their confession. During this period he again raised funds for rebuilding the hospital for the sick and it was finally opened in 1956.The hospital was named "Casa sollievo della sofferenza".

Death and Sainthood:

In his last years, he was plagued by asthma, bronchitis and arthritis. The stigmata on his feet and his arthritis made it difficult for him to walk and so he was permitted to remain seated whilst celebrating Holy Mass. On 20 September 1968 he saw the 50th anniversary of his stigmata. On 22 September 1968, he performed a Solemn High Mass for the huge assembly of people who had gathered though he was unwell. He collapsed at the end of the Holy Mass. During the night he made his last confession and renewed his Franciscan vows as was the custom. As he approached his last hours, he said “I see two mothers”. He continually uttered “Gesu, Maria” and at 2:30 a.m on September 23, 1968 he died at the age of 81. His last word was “Maria”. After his death the stigmata completely disappeared.

He was laid to rest in a crypt in the Church of Our Lady of Grace in San Giovanni on 26 September 1968. The Requiem Mass was attended by more than thousands of people. Forty years after his death, on 3 March 2008, his body was exhumed and found to be incorrupt. On April 24 2008, the body was kept in a crystal, marble and silver sepulchre in the crypt of the monastery for public veneration.

He was canonized on 16 June 2002 by Pope John Paul II. During his life on earth, he often said “After my death I will do more. My real mission will begin after my death.” True to his saying, Saint Padre Pio continues his work of uniting people to Christ. The Sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina in San Giovanni is one of the most popular pilgrim centres in the world. Also there are thousands of Padre Pio prayer groups worldwide that continue to seek his intercession. He is the patron saint of Pietrelcina, Italy, Civil defence volunteers and adolescents.