St. Padre Pio
Tomorrow is St. Padre Pio’s Feast day. Let’s explore his love for Christ. If you're looking for a saint who has it all, look no further than Padre Pio. He had the stigmata, bilocation, and other miracles, but he also ministered to thousands of people every week and loved his sister dearly. He also showed the world that grief and loss can be expressed when our loved one dies.
He was an Italian friar, priest, stigmatist, and mystic, now venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.
Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione on May 25, 1887 in Pietrelcina, Italy. His father was a farmer, and his mother helped with the farm. Padre Pio had a normal childhood until he was fourteen years old when he began to suffer from intense headaches that came at unexpected times and were so severe they would knock him unconscious. The headaches continued throughout his life and became known as Stigmata (to be discussed later).
Padre Pio's calling to become a priest began when he was seventeen years old. He joined the Capuchin Order in 1903 and took his vows as a Capuchin Friar in 1910 at San Giovanni Rotondo, where he worked until 1922, when he moved to open up a new monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo. After moving there, one of Padre Pio’s first tasks was establishing an orphanage for children whose parents had died from influenza during World War I (1914-1918). This project soon grew into an orphanage for both boys and girls who needed care because their parents could not afford them or because their parents had abandoned them due to poverty or other reasons like alcoholism or drug addiction, among others."
Pio had one of the most active ministries of any 20th-century saint and was visited by thousands every week.
He heard confessions for hours every day, sometimes from 3 in the morning until noon.
His sermons were often spontaneous and filled with powerful images that moved his listeners to profound conversion.
He wrote thousands of letters to people seeking his counsel, offering them encouragement and spiritual direction in their lives.
In 1918, he was ordained a priest.
He was 25 years old, and his father, who had died in 1910, had been the one to ordain him. After his ordination, Padre Pio went to Nocera dei Pagani, where he served as assistant parish priest until 1919, when he began serving as chaplain of the Military Hospital in Barletta.
Padre Pio became famous for his stigmata (wounds corresponding to those of Christ)
Stigmata are the phenomenon of bodily marks, pain, or sensations of a supernatural character, which are attributed to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Padre Pio had stigmata on his hands, feet, and side. He felt the pain of Christ's wounds and experienced other physical symptoms during his life.
The Church has never examined Padre Pio’s reported miracles but has recognized him as a saint based on his life and virtue alone (theologians have discounted any suggestion that Padre Pio might have made false claims about his stigmata).
In 1922, Padre Pio began to have visions and ecstasies during Mass.
He saw Jesus in the form of a young man and Mary as a young woman with blond hair. The visions were so frequent that they caused him great pain, and he had difficulty breathing. While he was in ecstasy, Padre Pio would levitate several feet off the ground or become rigid like a statue while his feet remained firmly planted on the floor; sometimes, his hands would remain in an unnatural position while they were suspended above his head. His stigmata also appeared during these times when he would bleed from wounds similar to those Christ suffered on the cross.
Padre Pio remained in seclusion until 1919, when he was finally permitted to celebrate Mass publicly again.
The Church investigated him and questioned him on many occasions.
The Church was concerned about his stigmata, which he received in 1918 at the age of twenty-five. The Church was also concerned about his bilocation when he appeared in two places at once (this happened to him frequently). The Church was also concerned about his visions, which included the Blessed Mother appearing to him, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and Our Lady of Grace.
The Holy Father had St Padre Pio named "Venerable" by Pope John Paul II in 1999, thereby opening up for the possibility that he might become a saint someday (if enough people pray for this).
St Padre Pio has been known as a man who struggles with temptations from Satan each day and night; most notably with lust and gluttony but also greed and envy among others; yet he never lost hope nor faith during these struggles throughout his lifetime even though they were painful because they showed him how much more he needed God's grace every day!
Padre Pio saw the Virgin Mary many times and had regular, intimate conversations with Jesus Christ.
In one of his visions, he was told that Mary wanted to show him her Immaculate Heart. Padre Pio said that it glowed with light and beauty like a diamond. He also said that this vision taught him about God's love for us: "If God loves us so much," he said, "how can we be indifferent to His wishes?" The conversations between Padre Pio and Mary were always loving; she often spoke about Jesus' suffering on the cross and how important it is for us to remember our faith in Him.
Padre Pio often bilocated (being in two places at once)
One of the most interesting attributes of Padre Pio was his ability to bilocate (being in two places at once).
It's important to note that bilocation is a phenomenon that has been attributed to a number of people throughout history. In fact, it was often associated with saints and mystics. While there are some who believe bilocation is possible through advanced technology, others theorize that it can only be achieved using magic or sorcery.
Padre Pio was known for being able to appear in two different places at once—a rare ability called "divine duplication." When he did so, he could even interact with both locations simultaneously!
On September 20, 1968, Padre Pio died of pneumonia at age 81 after suffering from a broken heart caused by the death of his beloved sister seven years earlier.
On September 20, 1968, Padre Pio died of pneumonia at age 81. He had been suffering from a broken heart after the death of his beloved sister seven years earlier. Padre Pio, chosen by the Lord and given him the same marks of His passion, grieved. Grief is not reduced to being faithless; in fact, it is the most human emotion of love lost.
St. Padre Pio is an intriguing person to read about for people who believe in miracles or just like reading about them.
St. Padre Pio is a fascinating person to read about for people who believe in miracles or just like reading about them. He was a priest who had stigmata, visions of Mary and Jesus, bilocated (appeared in two places at once), and could miraculously heal others just by touching them or praying over them.
