St. Padre Pio

Window is RESERVED
St. Padre Pio Stained Glass Window in the Newman Center

Biography 

Saint Padre Pio was an Italian priest who was known for is adoration of charity and love for the people around him. He bore the wounds of Christ, which is still something that cannot be explained. Francesco Forgione was born May 25th, 1887 in Pietrelcina, Italy. He was the son of peasant farmers Grazio Mario Forgione and Maria Giuseppa Di Nunzio. He had three younger sisters (Felicita, Pellegina, and Grazia) and one older brother (Michele), as well as two other siblings who had passed away as infants.
Padre Pio was baptized in the Church of Saint Ann in Pietrelcina. He was an altar server later on in this same cha­pel. By the time he was five years old, he had already made the decision to dedicate his life to God. He began taking on penances to prove his dedication and love for God. He expressed great desire to be involved with the Catholic faith, mainly because of his upbringing. The Forgione fam­ily was devoted to their faith. They were all devout Catho­lics, but Francesco had a deeper connection.

In August of 1918, he began experiencing a painful stig­mata that would come and go over a period of weeks. This would soon become permanent, and remain on his body for the next 50 years. It only disappeared miraculously a few days before his death in September 1968. Padre Pio never had a fever or drops in blood pressure, but the wounds bled day after day for 50 years.
The Hospital La Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, the Home for the Relief of Suffering, is Padre Pio’s life work. It opened on May 5, 1956 with thousands in attendance in­cluding Padre Pio prayer groups from all over the world as he celebrated Mass on the hospital’s steps.

Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (English: “Home for Relief of Suffering”) is a private scientific research hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, founded by Saint Pio of Pietrel­cina, and administered by Vatican City. Inaugurated on 5 May 1956, the hospital has adopted modern technologies and is often considered as one of the most efficient scientif­ic research hospitals in Europe. The building is situated at the highest part of the town, on the top of the hill, giving the location an identity of a hospital-town.

Padre Pio’s conformity to the Pascal Mystery of His Lord necessarily including the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18-20), its fruit. Toward that end he dedicated many hours of the day to the confessional, both in the mornings and the afternoon.
According to the practice common then he heard the con­fessions of men and women separately. The men’s confes­sions he would hear in the sacristy, essentially in the open with a portable grill, while the women would be heard in the church in his confessional.

To this task he brought an advantage that few confessors have, the ability to read hearts. Padre Pio’s charism en­abled him to know when someone was being deceitful in confession or simply had forgotten a serious sin, perhaps through lack of an adequate examination of conscience. In such cases he was able to tel the penitent exactly what they did and when, as well as any relevant circumstances. This drew many hundreds a day to him, moved by the grace of sincere repentance and the knowledge that Padre Pio could guide them with the wisdom of God in the spiritual life.

Padre Pio died of a heart attack at Our Lady of Grace in San Giovanni Rotondo on September 23rd, 1968. When died, many of the friars were eager and willing to begin the great process of canonization. This is when a mystic can become named a saint in the eyes of the Catholic Church. The memory of Padre Pio was beatified by Pope John Paul II at Mass on May 2nd, 1999. This was held in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. On June 16th, 2002, Padre Pio was Canonized by Pope John Paul II.