Padre Pio was born on May 25, 1887 as Francesco Forgione in the small agricultural village of Pietrelcina, Italy to Giuseppa and Grazio Forgione. Francesco had one older brother and three younger sisters. Several other children had died in infancy, so the family was no stranger to tragedy.

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Francesco’s family was rich in love and faith, and very early in his life the child made decisions on where his life would lead. By the age of five he had decided to dedicate his life to God. At this early age he also began to have visions of Mary, and Jesus. He also began to experience attacks from Satan. He did not reveal these visions for a number of years as he simply thought everyone had them and that they were nothing unusual.

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As a child he was always drawn to the church. Though he played with the other children, and had many friends, he would spend much time in the parish church. If, while playing, one of his friends would swear, Francesco would run home as he did not want to hear such language.

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One day, a Capuchin monk came through the town asking for funds to support the monks and their work. The man greatly impressed the young Francesco and he told his parents that he wanted to become a monk. This required sacrifice on the part of the family. The required education to prepare the young man to enter the seminary was not free. To earn the money needed, Francesco’s father, Grazio, made the first of two trips to the United States to earn money to support his family and pay for Francesco’s education.

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In 1904, Francesco left his family and entered the seminary at Morcone. As God would have it, when he knocked on the seminary door, the priest who answered was none other than the monk he had met years before in Pietrelcina. Francesco was a good student but was most known for his hard work and piety. It was also while in the seminary that another issue arose – his health. Francesco Forgione was plagued with ailments that frequently had him bedridden. Over the years the illness was diagnosed as various lung ailments, tuberculosis, etc. Eventually, fearing for his life, he was sent home to Pietrelcina and his family to recover, if recovery was possible. Francesco continued his studies with the local parish priest, and was ordained in 1910. Efforts were made to place him in various monasteries, which Francesco, now known as Padre Pio, greatly welcomed. Unfortunately, wherever he was placed, his illness would return, and fearful for his health, he would be ordered back to Pietrelcina. This caused suffering for Padre Pio as he longed to be with his fellow Capuchins rather than on his own. The illness also threatened his future as a Capuchin. His fellow townspeople however, welcomed his being in their midst. He helped educate their children and aided them with his prayers and blessings. They already referred to him as a saint.

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While in Pietrelcina Padre Pio had his first experience with the stigmata. The wounds of Christ appeared on his hands and feet. The pain was intense. Padre Pio accepted the pain but prayed that the visual signs of the stigmata be removed as he was concerned that they would draw attention to him. His prayer was answered.

 

Eventually, Padre Pio was sent to the small, very isolated monastery at San Giovanni Rotondo in the remote Gargano mountains, a few miles from the Adriatic coast. He was to stay only a short time. Much to everyone’s surprise, especially Padre Pio’s, at San Giovanni Rotondo his illness left him. He asked if he could stay, and the request was granted. This would be his home for the rest of his life.

 

Interestingly, in 1915, during World War One, Padre Pio was drafted into the Italian army to serve in the 10th Medical Corps at Naples. He was shortly sent back to San Giovanni Rotondo, being diagnosed with “double bronchial pneumonia.” The army physicians believed that they were sending him home to die. His orders were to await new orders. He did so. The orders never came. Eventually some troops did come looking for him. They searched the town for a man named Francesco Forgione. No one knew who that was. They did not know to ask for Padre Pio whom everyone knew. They left, never finding him. Much to Padre Pio’s shock, he found himself listed as a deserter! He reported back and explained that he was following orders to await new orders…and he received no new orders! The army eventually admitted that he was correct. He was discharged for his medical condition which returned when he had left his mountain monastery.

 

Padre Pio experienced many unusual gifts which were becoming evident to some. In addition to his ongoing visions, he had the following gifts:

 

1. The ability unique ability to read souls - In the confessional, he had the ability to remind people of sins that they had forgotten or failed to confess. He was very specific and could remind people of when and where certain events occurred, even if these events occurred in another country decades earlier.

 

 2. The gift of bilocation - Padre Pio would be in the monastery physically but would suddenly find himself somewhere else where he was needed for to hear a last confession or to present the Eucharist. Some of these incidents were recorded in his diary and were later independently confirmed by people whom he met in bilocation.

 

3. The gift of the “scent of sanctity.” This is a gift in which he was frequently surrounded by the scent of flowers, though it may have been in the dead of winter. In addition, if he was praying for someone that person, even though miles away, would smell the scent of sanctity. They knew Padre Pio was with them.

  

4. The gift of prophecy - Padre Pio often had knowledge of future events and of current events occurring elsewhere in world the moment they occurred. For instance, could reliably tell people about the status of their relatives in the military during both world wars. He also knew about the deaths of various individuals before the news reported on them, such as King George V of England. He would also know who would be elected pope before the elections occurred.

 

5. The gift of healing, or more properly, the gift of praying for someone’s healing and having his request granted. He always made it clear that he did not heal people. He only prayed for them and God healed them.

 

Though he had these gifts, few knew about them initially as he Padre Pio avoided publicity. He rarely spoke of them. However, over time people witnessed these gifts and the word spread.

 

The tremendous number of healings and other miracles attributed to Padre Pio's intercession brought unwanted attention to Padre Pio. However when he interceded for someone with prayers and the prayers and healing were granted, Padre Pio often experienced suffering. For instance, in a case where he prayed for the healing of a man who had severe injury to his eyes, the man experienced a miraculous cure. However, Padre Pio experienced temporary blindness. Other times, while people experienced healings, Padre Pio suffered fevers documented by physicians to be as high as 119 degrees Fahrenheit! 

 

The of 1918 was a pivotal year for Padre Pio. In August of 1918 he experienced a vision in which his heart was pierced by a silver spear, something called the transverberation of the heart. The pain was very real, and Padre Pio did not expect to survive. He was confined to his bed for a period of time. The transverberation of the heart is an act that a number of saints have experienced.

 

In September of the same year, Padre Pio was in the choir loft of the monastery church when he had a vision in which Christ appeared alive on the crucifix before him, bleeding from the wounds in his hands, feet and side. Padre Pio fell into a deep sleep. When he awoke, he too was bleeding from his hands, feet and side. He initially tried to keep the news of his wounds from his brother Capuchins, but the wounds and the blood were impossible to hide. He would suffer from these wounds for the remainder of his earthly life. Padre Pio was saddened, concerned and even embarrassed about the wounds. He did not like that they drew attention to him and he believed he was unworthy of the wounds of Christ.

 

Padre Pio was the first priest in history to receive the wounds of Christ. Famously, the founder of Padre Pio’s religious order, St. Francis, also had the stigmata for a period of time. However, few people realize that St. Francis was never ordained as a priest as he felt unworthy of that honor.

 

The knowledge of the monk with the stigmata in the remote monastery soon spread. The Vatican dispatched physicians to inspect the wounds and perform tests. Three independent physicians viewed the wounds and reported that they were serious and real. Experiments were done in which the wounds were dressed and the dressing sealed so that Padre Pio had no access to the wounds for a lengthy period. The wounds remained unchanged, demonstrating that he was not deliberately injuring himself to create the wounds. The wounds never became infected though they remained open for fifty years. The Vatican ordered Padre Pio to show the wounds to no one unless approved by the Vatican. After that time, Padre Pio wore gloves to cover the wounds in his hands. The wounds were only exposed during Mass.

 

The devout who already knew Padre Pio continued to seek him out for advice, prayers and Reconciliation. As the story of the stigmata was leaked to the newspapers, soon the devout were joined by the faithful from farther afield, as well as the curious. Those that came to meet Padre Pio did so in the confessional. Those who were curiosity seekers or who were not sincere in their confession were dismissed from the confessional. Those that were serious were aided in their confession and granted absolution. Many who attended Mass celebrated by Padre Pio were drawn in as they could see that Padre Pio was experiencing the Last Supper and Jesus’ death on the cross.

 

As is sadly true with most saints, persecution was a significant part of Padre Pio’s life and, as was often the case, came from the church itself. The Vatican’s attention was drawn by the growing crowds flocking to San Giovanni Rotondo. Based on concern and some deliberately misleading information provided by an archbishop who was later forced to resign, Padre Pio was ordered to no longer celebrate Mass in public. He was to show his wounds to no one. In addition, he was no longer permitted to communicate with his spiritual director, nor respond to any of the many letters he received seeking advice or prayers. Within months, the ban on public Mass was raised. However, he never spoke or heard from his spiritual director after this time. Padre Pio accepted these limitations without complaint as he had made a vow of obedience to his superiors in the church.

 

Padre Pio took his vow of obedience very seriously. He suffered from a hernia that required an operation. Prior to the operation he insisted that he not be given anesthesia since he knew that once he was unconscious, the doctor would examine his stigmata, something he was under orders to not permit. To avoid this, he was determined to remain conscious. The operation lasted nearly two hours. As they wheeled him back to his cell in the monastery, he passed out. The doctor, who had examined the wounds a few years previously, examined them again and found them serious, unchanged, and luminous.

 

Shortly afterwards, the Vatican made an effort to transfer Padre Pio to another monastery to attempt to stem the crowds flocking to him. The citizens of San Giovanni Rotondo got wind of the plan and reacted very strongly. The planned transfer was abandoned amidst concerns of bloodshed.

 

In 1931 the persecutions against Padre Pio increased. Padre Pio was to celebrate Mass with no one than one other person, an altar server, present. He was also forbidden from hearing confessions. The persecutions were gradually lifted in 1933, with the ability to celebrate Mass publicly and to hear the confessions of priests and his brother Capuchins being granted first. This was eventually followed by the ability to hear confessions from the public once again.

 

During World War Two American troops heard about Padre Pio and visited the monastery. Many of these men developed a devotion to the stigmatized monk and spread that devotion in the United States. On their return some of these men went on to become priests and monks themselves.

 

Following the war, the numbers of visitors to San Giovanni Rotondo continued to increase. Those coming to have confession with Padre Pio frequently experienced a wait of two to three weeks, even though Padre Pio spent up to eighteen hours a day in the confessional. It is estimated that he heard over two million confessions in lifetime. Padre Pio spoke only Italian and Latin, however people who only spoke other languages still went to him unaware of this. They often later commented that they were amazed that he spoke to them not only in their own language without an accent, and usually in their own dialect.

 

In 1947, Padre Pio started moving ahead with plans to build a hospital. People laughed. Who would build a large hospital in such a remote area? The hospital, which Padre Pio wanted to serve both the spiritual and physical needs of its patients was called the “House for the Relief of Suffering,” and is now one of the largest and most modern hospitals in Italy.

 

At the same time, Padre Pio started a prayer group to assist in the formation of the “House for the Relief of Suffering.” People who attended the prayer group extended the prayer group to their own hometowns with Padre Pio’s assurance that he would be with them. Soon the Padre Pio Prayer Groups became a worldwide movement which is still going strong today.

 

Padre Pio had many esteemed visitors and letters from many more. One who Padre Pio held in esteem but was unknown to anyone else was a young priest who came to him for confession. Later the same priest visited Padre Pio again as archbishop of Krakow. The priest was Karol Wojtyla, the future St. Pope John Paul II. Wojtyla also wrote to Padre Pio asking for his prayers for a friend with late stage cancer. The person experienced a miraculous full healing. Wojtyla wrote again to thank Padre Pio for his prayers. Of all of the millions of letters Padre Pio received, it was those two letters the Padre Pio took to his brothers and told them to preserve as they would someday be important. Wojtyla became pope unexpectedly ten years after Padre Pio’s death.

 

Needless to say, with the number of pilgrims, the small monastery church could not handle the crowds, so a new, larger church was built, being inaugurated in 1959. His brother Capuchins commented on the large size of the church. Padre Pio smiled and joked that the building was only the size of a matchbox! He said a larger church would be needed. Eventually new church, seating 6,500 people was built. It was inaugurated in 2004.

 

In 1961 the Capuchin order had disastrous financial issues after the man who handled their investments turned out to be a fraud. The order was aware of the flow of donations that continually flowed in to Padre Pio in support of the  “House of the Relief of Suffering.” Efforts were made to have him turn these funds over to the order to stave off its debts. Though he was to be obedient, he refused to sign the documents required as they made statements that were not truthful. Padre Pio was again a victim. The Capuchin order, through the Vatican, had new restrictions imposed on him. He had to vary the time of his daily Mass to cut down on visitors. He was not to speak to speak to people outside of the confessional if possible. His Mass time was limited, and priests and bishops were no longer permitted to assist him during Mass.  Also, the other Capuchins were limited in aiding the aging and wounded monk in even navigating the stairs. Lastly, he was forced to sign over control of the “House for the Relief of Suffering” to the Vatican.

 

In 1964, Cardinal Montini was elected pope, becoming Pope Paul VI. Montini had a devotion to Padre Pio and decreed that Padre Pio be allowed to carry out his ministry in complete freedom, ending much of the persecution.

 

In September of 1968, the faithful flocked to San Giovanni Rotondo. The reasons were many. In addition to the usual pilgrims, people came to recognize the fiftieth anniversary of Padre Pio having received the permanent visible stigmata. Many members of the worldwide Padre Pio Prayer Groups came to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the prayer group movement. Sadly, the anniversary weekend did not go as planned by the pilgrims. Padre Pio celebrated Mass, and his Mass was filmed for the first time. Following Mass Padre Pio nearly collapsed as he left the altar.

 

That night, Padre Pio called to the brother Capuchin who helped him in his later years. He indicated that he was unwell, and asked to repeat his vows, something done when a Capuchin was at the point of death. As he struggled, his brother Capuchin wanted to call a doctor, but Padre Pio refused to have him wake anyone. Eventually, his brother could stand it no longer and called to the other Capuchins and called the physician against Padre Pio's wishes. Padre Pio passed away seated in his chair with words “Maria…Jesus” on his lips surrounded by his Capuchin brothers and physician friends.

 

As Padre Pio approached death, the wounds of the stigmata began to heal after bleeding for fifty years. On his death, they were found to be fully healed with the last scab falling away. Miraculously, after being open wounds for decades, they healed without leaving a single scar.

 

Padre Pio always said he could do more for people after his death. He continues to draw people to Jesus Christ from all around the world. Reports of miracles attributed to the intercession of Padre Pio continue to grow.

 

Padre Pio was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II on June 16, 2002.

 

In 1971, Pope Paul VI, speaking to the superiors of the Capuchin order, stated, “What fame he [Padre Pio] had. How many followers from around the world. Why? Was it because he was a philosopher, a scholar, or because he had means at his disposal? No, it was because he said Mass humbly, heard confessions from morning until night and was a marked representative of the stigmata of Our Lord. He was truly a man of prayer and suffering.”