St. Padre Pio

Padre Pio’s Youth

Born May 25th, 1897 in a small village in Italy known as Pietrelcina, Padre Pio was born with the name of Francesco Forgione in a large and very poor peasant family. Eight children were born to his parents; Orazio Forgione and Maria Giuseppa De Nunzio, three of whom died while still babies.

Francesco Forgione began having mystical experiences from early childhood seeing the Blessed Virgin, Jesus, St. Michael and his own guardian angels on a regular basis. This was so ordinary to him that he had conversations with them as if they were his playmates.

Padre Pio’s Call to the Priesthood

Francesco’s parents realized his unique call when he was young. The family made the sacrifice of allowing the father to live apart from the family in Italy to work in New York City to earn the money for his education.

Ordained to the Priesthood as a Franciscan Friar on August 10th, 1910, Padre Pio soon became unusually ill and unable to remain in the monastery at Foggia (San Giovanni Rotondo). Throughout his priesthood, he would go back and forth from home to the monastery until much later in his life, when his health would finally sustain him remaining with his fellow Minor Capuchin Friars.

Padre Pio’s Strange Illnesses

Padre Pio sustained mysterious illnesses involving nausiousness and fevers throughout his life. He would sustain fevers of 119 on a regular basis actually causing the old mercury thermometers of his day in the early 1900s to explode

Padre Pio’s Stigmata

Padre Pio received the stigmata while praying before the choir loft. According to his accounts, the crucifix came to life as the crucified Christ, wounds bleeding profusely in what St. Pio described as “a terrifying vision.” After this image of Christ disappeared, a seraph came towards him brandishing some kind of weapon like a sword. It came upon him and pierced his hands, feet and side, leaving him crying out for help on the chapel floor.

St. Pio was ironically named after St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan Order and the first stigmatist in Church history.

Padre Pio’s Other Gifts

Padre Pio was known to have many miraculous gifts, among them

1) A Mysterious Scent of Roses which Emanated from his Wounds

2) Bilocation

3) Miraculous Healings

4) The Ability to Read Consciences in the Confessional

One of the miracles utilized in his canonization involved a young girl born without pupils and blind from birth, who although her eyes never again had pupils, was restored to perfect vision.

He was known for advice he gave to those who came to him regarding the avoidance of Purgatory and Hell. His life involved many austere practices similar to those assumed by the Early Desert Fathers in the Philokalia.

Padre Pio’s Persecutions

Throughout his life, Padre Pio was persecuted by doctors and by the Church. For a period of 10 years, Padre Pio was not allowed to celebrate Mass in public while the Church tried to discern if his stigmata was from God or the devil.

Padre Pio also suffered from violent demonic attacks in his cell wherein he sustained physical injuries.

Padre Pio’s Death

September 23, 1968, Padre Pio died from complications of heart failure. Thousands flocked to see his body and still flock today at his tomb to request the prayers of this unusual saint of the modern day.

Sources: Padre Pio of Pietrelcina: Letters I – III - San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy - Translated by Melchiorre of Pobladura and Alessandro of Ripabottoni, Padre Pio: The Stigmatist - By Rev. Charles Mortimer Carty, Padre Pio: The True Story - By C. Bernard Ruffin

St. Pio as a Young Man

St. Pio as an Older Man

Print Article

Email Article

View All Articles

How to subscribe to feeds