Saint of the Issue: Pio of Pietrelcina

What can be said about St. Pio that has not already been written? Born Francesco “Franci” Forgione and known affectionately as Padre Pio, St. Pio of Pietrelcina is one of the most famous saints of the 20th century. He is renowned for his humor, piety, and the numerous miracles attributed to him in life and beyond the grave. It is not uncommon to see a third-class relic of cloth that has been blessed by being touched to one of his garments.

St. Pio was born in 1887 to a devout peasant family in Pietrelcina where, as a boy, he was already conversing with Jesus, the Blessed Mother, and his guardian angel. The young Franci  resolved to become a priest at the early age of five years old, an intention that was only strengthened after meeting a Capuchin monk passing through the town. In order to afford the education that Franci needed to join the order, St. Pio’s father became one of many Italians to migrate to New York for work. St. Pio never forgot his father’s gift and gratefully advocated for the importance of education in his adult years.

While a priest, St. Pio was blessed with the gifts of bilocation, speaking to foreigners in their native languages, and the ability to read hearts and minds. He frequently experienced ecstatic visions while celebrating Mass, often accompanied by levitation, prolonging services for hours. This attracted thousands to San Giovanni Rotondo, where his spiritual children included Servant of God Cleonice Morcaldi and actor Carlo Campanini. Throughout his life, the devil would physically assault St. Pio at night as a victim soul, while his patient screams could be heard throughout the hall by his fellow friars.

St. Pio’s public fame originated in large part because of his stigmata, the visible wounds of Christ, which he received without warning in 1918 while praying before a crucifix. It is important to note here that St. Pio immediately thought himself unworthy of this favor, being the first priest in history with stigmata. In his profound humility, he prayed that the wounds be allowed to disappear, but that the pain he felt from them would remain so that he could still be joined to Christ’s suffering without drawing attention to himself. This was granted temporarily, but the wounds soon returned while St. Pio was hearing a confession. From then on, St. Pio covered up the stigmata with gloves, although the blood continued to seep through. They lasted for the rest of his life, until his death in 1968.

The copious phenomena surrounding Padre Pio attracted international skepticism. Many accused the friar of self-inflicting the stigmata, but their lack of infection and their odor of sanctity defied medical explanation. In 1921, the controversy prompted the Vatican to bar St. Pio from publicly performing his priestly duties until he could be further investigated. Nevertheless, St. Pio humbly submitted to the sanctions, which were not fully repealed until 1934. This did not stop thousands from continuing to visit the friar.

An article this short cannot do St. Pio justice. The various, scattered episodes of his life are golden anecdotes, pearls of piety as it were. For example, someone once told St. Pio that his doctor thought the stigmata were merely psychosomatic symptoms of hyperfixation on Christ’s wounds. St. Pio humorously (and quite provocatively) replied to the effect of, “Tell him to concentrate on a bull. Let’s see if he grows horns.” Or, one could tell you how rigorously St. Pio fasted, barely eating one meal a day and subsisting mostly on the Eucharist. His one treat was an espresso on Christmas. Furthermore, whenever praised for a miracle, he denied being the origin, always giving credit to God. A young Karol Wojtyła visited St. Pio one day and it is said that St. Pio predicted his papacy. That same man, Pope St. John Paul II, went on to canonize Padre Pio.

The key takeaway, however, is St. Pio’s endurance. He bore the pains of Christ, the lashes of the devil, and the trial of being barred from his dear vocation. He did not complain about any of these, but quietly kept faith in God to sustain him throughout. May we all learn to take up our cross daily as St. Pio did.

Saint Pio, pray for us!