Saint Padre Pio

Francesco Forgione was born in 1887 in the poor farming village of Pietrelcina, Italy. At fifteen he joined the Capuchin Franciscans and took the name Pio. On September 20, 1918, while praying before a crucifix, he received the stigmata — the five wounds of Christ in his hands, feet, and side. He bore them for fifty years, bleeding daily, until shortly before his death. He became known worldwide as 'Padre Pio.' For decades he heard confessions fifteen or more hours a day. He had the supernatural gift of reading souls — penitents reported him telling them of sins they had forgotten or hidden. He also bilocated (appeared in two places at once), prophesied, healed the sick, and sometimes exuded a mysterious fragrance of roses. The Vatican was suspicious of him for years, at one point forbidding him to celebrate Mass publicly or hear confessions. He obeyed without protest. Eventually his reputation for holiness was vindicated. He founded a modern hospital — the Home for the Relief of Suffering, now a major medical center in southern Italy. He suffered constant attacks, both spiritual and physical. He died in 1968 at age 81. Three days before his death, as if on divine schedule, the stigmata healed completely — there was not even a scar. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002. His most famous counsel, given to countless anxious penitents: 'Pray, hope, and don't worry.'