Feast day: 23 September
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
Sanctus Pius a Pietrelcina
A Capuchin priest who bore the visible stigmata for fifty years, spent his life in the confessional, and founded a great hospital for the suffering.
- Born
- 25 May 1887, Pietrelcina, Benevento (Italy)
- Died
- 23 September 1968, San Giovanni Rotondo (Italy)
- Canonization
- Beatified 2 May 1999 and canonized 16 June 2002 by Saint John Paul II.
- Religious order
- Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
- Country
- Italy
Biography
Friar and stigmatist
Francesco Forgione entered the Capuchins at fifteen and was ordained in 1910. On 20 September 1918, while praying before a crucifix in the choir at San Giovanni Rotondo, he received the stigmata, which remained visible until shortly before his death. Investigations followed and for some years he was restricted from public ministry, restrictions he accepted in silence.
Confessor and founder
For decades he heard confessions for many hours a day, drawing pilgrims from across the world. In 1956 he opened the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, the 'Home for the Relief of Suffering', now a major hospital, and organised prayer groups that spread internationally. He died in 1968 with the Rosary in his hands.
Timeline
- 1887 — Born at Pietrelcina
- 1910 — Ordained a priest
- 1918 — Receives the stigmata, 20 September
- 1956 — Opens the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza hospital
- 1968 — Dies at San Giovanni Rotondo
- 2002 — Canonized by John Paul II
Dates marked ~ are traditional or debated among historians.
Symbols
Half-gloves — Worn to cover the wounds in his hands.
Confessional — The ministry that occupied most of his life.
Virtues & spiritual lessons
Patience under suspicion, obedience to superiors, and constant prayer. His counsel — 'Pray, hope and don't worry' — is a summary of Christian trust.
Importance in the Church
Padre Pio renewed devotion to the sacrament of Penance and to the Eucharist in the twentieth century, and his hospital embodies the union of faith and care for the sick.
Miracles
The healing of Consiglia De Martino (1995) was accepted for his beatification and the cure of the child Matteo Pio Colella (2000) for his canonization, both examined by the medical board of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
Quotes
“Pray, hope and don't worry.”
Counsel repeated in his letters and to penitents
“The Rosary is the weapon for these times.”
Attributed in the testimonies of his spiritual children
Prayers
Prayer of Saint Pio after Communion (Anima Christi tradition)
Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have you present so that I do not forget you. You know how easily I abandon you. Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need your strength, that I may not fall so often. Amen.
'Stay with me, Lord', prayer prayed by Padre Pio after Mass.
Places
San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy — Shrine and hospital where his body is venerated.
Pietrelcina, Italy — His birthplace and early hermitage.
Entries are drawn from the Roman Martyrology, the General Roman Calendar, canonization records of the Holy See, and the saints' own writings. Where a date, quotation or attribution is uncertain, it is marked as such. (63 saints)