On May 25, 1887, Francesco Forgione was born in Pietrelcina, Italy, and later became St. Padre Pio. He came from a family of poor farmers. In addition to three younger sisters and an elder brother, he also lost two other siblings while they were quite little. He was a devout child, and at five years old, he supposedly decided to commit his life to God.

Luckily, his parents encouraged his Catholic upbringing and were equally devout. His family went to Mass every day and Francisco served at his neighborhood parish as an altar boy. Francisco was known for carrying out penances, and his mother even chastised him for sleeping on a stone floor.

Francisco had a unique gift from an early age. He communicated with Jesus and the Virgin Mary, and he saw guardian angels. He was not taught this; instead, it came to him so effortlessly that he thought others could see them as well.

Francisco had to work because he had to support his family, who were quite destitute. He grew up caring for his family's little flock of sheep for many years. He regrettably couldn't attend school regularly due to his job, and thus he rapidly lagged behind other children his age.

When Francisco was younger, he was ill. At age six, he had a gastroenteritis attack, and at age ten, he contracted typhoid fever.

Following three years of education, Francisco told his parents in 1897 that he wished to become a friar. His parents went to a nearby monastery and enquired whether Francesco could join them. Despite his youth, he was assessed and informed that he required additional education before he could enter.

Francesco's parents choose to engage a private tutor to get him ready. Francesco's father traveled to America to find work and then sent the money home to pay for his education.

Francisco eventually felt ready, and at the age of 15, he entered the Capuchin friars' novitiate at Morcone. He adopted the name "Pio" in homage to Pope Pius I, whose relic he frequently saw at his neighborhood chapel.

When Brother Pio was seventeen years old, he was quite unwell and was only able to digest cheese and milk. He was transferred to the mountain for healthier air, but when that didn't work, he was returned home to his family. He persisted in his priesthood studies in the midst of all of this.

Amazingly, a fellow monk once claimed to have witnessed Pio float during a period of ecstasy while they were in prayer.

In 1910, Brother Pio was ordained as a priest, but due to his bad health, he was allowed to stay at home.

Padre Pio was called up for military duty in 1915, while World War I was raging over the entire world. He was forced to join the armed forces and was taken from the little order of monks, where he had been living. But he was so ill that he was frequently sent home just to be called back to duty. Due to his poor health, he was finally let go in March 1916.

As Padre Pio was listening to confessions on September 20, he began to experience discomfort in his hands and feet. He became aware of the stigmata, developing on his feet and hands. It was an unpleasant experience and it was bleeding. The wounds never went infected, and even though they continued to bleed, they smelt like roses. The flawlessly spherical shape of the stigmata astounded the doctors who later studied them.

When news of Padre Pio's stigmata started to circulate in 1919, people traveled from far and wide to see him. As Padre Pio gained popularity among those he came into contact with, people started attributing supernatural occurrences to him. He was supposedly able to perform miracles and could levitate, for instance.

The Church started to worry about his popularity, so the Vatican started to limit his activities to avoid too much public engagement. Because of his stigmata, Padre Pio felt uncomfortable with his sudden fame and the attention it brought. His stigmata were examined by the Church, and no evidence of fabrication was found.

By 1934, Padre Pio's status with the Vatican had started to improve, and he was once more permitted to carry out official tasks. He was able to preach even though the Church had never given him a formal license to do so.

When Fr. Karol Wojtyla met Padre Pio in 1947, the priest foretold that he would become the head of the Church." In 1978, Fr. Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope John Paul II.

In San Giovanni Rotondo, Padre Pio opened a hospital with the help of his growing fame. In 1956, the establishment opened.

Padre Pio also suffered from various ailments, such as cancer, which after just two treatments unexpectedly recovered from. He suffered from arthritis in his senior years, among other issues that never went away.

On September 23, 1968, Padre Pio passed away. He was canonized on June 16, 2002, by Pope John Paul II. His feast day is celebrated on September 23. He is revered as the patron of civil defense volunteers, adolescents, and the village of Pietrelcina.

Other Saints of the Day
Saint Irais
Saint Thecla
Saint Constantius
Saint Xantippa & Polyxena
Saint Andrew and Companions