Saint of the day September 23, 2024

On Sept. 23, the Catholic Church remembers the Italian Franciscan priest St. Pio of Petrelcina, better known as “Padre Pio” and known for his suffering, humility and miracles.

Saint Pio was born on May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina, southern Italy. He was tutored privately until he entered 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.

On September 20, 1918, while praying after Mass, Padre Pio had a vision of a Man, dripping with blood from His hands, feet, and side. Suddenly, Padre Pio’s body was pierced with those wounds as he received the stigmata. He openly carried those wounds for exactly fifty years. They bled up to a cup of blood every day, had a heavenly aroma to them, and caused great pain, especially a wound he had on his shoulder where Christ carried the Cross. The five wounds of our Lord’s passion, which appeared on his body, made him the first stigmatized priest in the history of the Catholic Church. Countless persons 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 suffering, physical and spiritual, which accompanied him all through his life. They also reveal his deep union with God, and his burning love for the Blessed Eucharist and Our Blessed Lady.

On January 9, 1940, Saint Pio announced his grandiose plans to develop a Home for the Relief of Suffering (the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza). The Casa opened its doors on May 5, 1956, as a 300-bed facility. Saint Pio considered the Casa Sollievo Della Sofferenza (Casa) his “Work,” inspired and blessed by God, to be a haven of relief from suffering for all of God’s children in pain in body or soul.

Worn out by over half a century of intense suffering and constant apostolic activity in San Giovanni Rotondo, Padre Pio celebrated a televised solemn Mass on September 22, 1968, attended by thousands to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of his reception of the stigmata. The following day, his wounds disappeared and he passed to Heaven. An estimated 100,000 people attended his funeral. 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 the spiritual and temporal graces received.

On December 18, 1997, by the reading of the decree on the heroic virtues, the Holy Father John Paul II declared Padre Pio “Venerable,” and on June 16, 2002, over 500,000 Padre Pio devotees gathered in Rome to witness Pope John Paul II proclaim Padre Pio, “Saint Pio of Pietrelcina”.

Reflection

In many ways, Saint Padre Pio was a one-in-a-millenium saint. Though other saints have borne the stigmata, no one bore it so openly for so long. He lived continually in divine union, was used by God in the most miraculous of ways, brought about countless conversions, and believed that his real work would take place after his death. Since 1968, that work has continued as his story has been told, his intercession felt, and miracles continue to occur. His body now lies at rest in the Padre Pio Pilgrimage Church in San Giovanni Rotondo, one of the most frequented pilgrimage sites in the world.

As we honor this amazing saint, allow yourself to be inspired by his miraculous life. Ponder even more deeply the life of prayer and union with God that he led. His sanctity went far beyond miracles. It was primarily the result of prayer, penance, virtuous living, and unwavering obedience to the will of God. Every one of us is capable of this same level of sanctity, even if God does not use us in a miraculous and charismatic way. Seek holiness through prayer and penance, and seek Saint Padre Pio’s intercession to help you.