Saint
Holiday: September 23
* May 25, 1887, Pietrelcina, Italy
† September 23, 1968, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
Meaning of the name: pious, religious (lat.)
Padre Pio
On May 25, 1887, in the small Italian village of Pietrelcina, Francis was born, named after St. Francis of Assisi Even in childhood it was clear that he was an exceptional child of God. He was very pious, even as a boy he wanted to become a priest. He became a Capuchin, and as a sixteen-year-old, he put on the Capuchin habit in 1902. He took the name Pio. After seven years of studies, he was ordained a priest in 1910.
His whole life was marked by suffering and supernatural intervention. On September 20, 1918, Padre Pio, kneeling before his great cross, received the stigmata – the wounds of the crucified Jesus Christ. He thus became the first stigmatized priest in the history of the Church. The doctor who examined these wounds could only state that the wounds were not of natural origin. Sometime before the death of 1968, the stigmas disappeared and no scar remained. The skin was completely restored. Many who met him said that the blood flowing from the stigmata smelled like flowers. In addition to this supernatural fact, Padre Pio had the gift of bilocation and could also read people’s hearts. So many people came to him that he often confessed for 10-12 hours a day. He correctly guessed what the penitents needed and always found the right word to bring people closer to God.
He died on September 23, 1968, at the age of 81. Around one hundred thousand people were present at his funeral. Pope John Paul II declared him blessed on May 2, 1999, and a saint on June 16, 2002. The places where Padre Pio lived are important destinations for pilgrims from all over the world.
Hello. And Bye.