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On September 20th, 1918 the five wounds of Our Lord’s Passion appeared on his body, making him the first stigmatized priest in the history of the Church. Countless numbers were attracted to his confessional and many more received his saintly counsel and spiritual guidance through correspondence. His whole life was marked by long hours of prayer and continual austerity. His letters to his spiritual directors reveal the ineffable sufferings, physical and spiritual, which accompanied him all through life. They also reveal his very deep union with God, his burning love for the Blessed Eucharist and Our Blessed Lady. Worn out by over half a century of intense suffering and constant apostolic activity in San Giovanni Rotondo, he was called to his heavenly reward on September 23, 1968. After a public funeral which attracted almost 100,000, his body was entombed in the crypt of Our Lady of Grace Church. Increasing numbers flock to his tomb from all parts of the world and many testify to spiritual and temporal graces received. On Feb. 16th, 1973, the Archbishop of Manfredonia, Msgr. Valentino Vailati, consigned the documentation to the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints so as to obtain the "nihil obstat" for the beginning of the process of his Beatification. Padre Pio was canonized a Saint on June 16, 2002. Padre Pio pray for US! |
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Padre Pio was
born of a simple, hardworking farming people on May 25th, 1887 in Pietrelcina,
southern Italy. He was tutored privately until entry to the novitiate of the
Capuchin Friars at the age of 15. Of feeble health but strong will, with
the help of grace he completed the required studies and was ordained a priest in
1910.