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One of the outstanding characteristics of Padre Pio’s(Francesco Forgione’s) spirituality was his deep devotion to Mary. His love for the Blessed Mother was one which was present from his earliest years and which lasted through his whole life. In the small town of Pietrelcina where he was born, devotion to the Madonna has been a characteristic of the people’s spirituality for many centuries. Our Lady Liberatrix (Our Lady of Liberty) was the special patroness of the area and was venerated in the main church. Every year there was a festival in her honor with a procession through the streets. The...

BiographyPadre Pio was born May 25, 1887 in Pietrelcina, Italy, a small country town located in southern Italy. His parents were Grazio Mario Forgione (1860-1946) and Maria Guiseppa de Nunzio Forgione (1859-1929). He was baptized the next day, in the nearby Castle Church, with the name of his brother, Francesco, who died in early infancy. Other children in the family were an older brother, Michele; three younger sisters: Felicita, Pellegrina and Grazia; and two children who died as infants. Religion was the center of life for both Pietrelcina and the Forgione family. The town had many celebrations throughout the...

ROME, JULY 23, 2004 (ZENIT.org-Avvenire).- The newly inaugurated shrine in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, dedicated to Padre Pio, will likely be regarded as one of the great architectural works of the start of the millennium. The Capuchin friars of the community of the religious of the stigmata entrusted the project to one of the world's most prestigious architects, Renzo Piano. The work, inaugurated July 1, has room for 8,000 people. The press has described it as the largest Catholic church after St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. In this interview, Piano talked about the way he developed the project. Q:...

THE HEALING OF GEMMA DI GIORGIAmong the many miracles of healing attributed to Padre Pio, some are so unusual and unique that they have been the subject of much discussion and controversy in medical circles. In these particular cases, the person who has been healed lives a completely normal life afterward, even though they continue to have all the physical symptoms of their illness. From a scientific viewpoint, they are still sick. One such person is Gemma di Giorgi.Gemma di Giorgi was born on Christmas day in 1939, in the Sicilian town of Ribera. Almost immediately, her mother realized that...

Five Maxims for Living a Devout Life Gino Concetti Examining the writings of Padre PioThe publication of the letters of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina reveal unheard of and surprising aspects of his priestly ministry. Through his vast experience he was a master of spiritual direction for the various categories of faithful: young people, adults and the elderly, both men and women. His ministry for priests and Religious was of equal, if not better, quality.As an apostle full of charismatic gifts, this saintly priest knew how to treat every person and every situation with the greatest gentleness and charity.Gianluigi Pasquale,...

(ANSA) - San Giovanni Rotondo, August 9 - An attempt was made during the night between Sunday and Monday to steal relics belonging to the revered St Padre Pio, police reported. The would-be thief or thieves broke into a small chapel which previously hosted the tomb of the saint in the cemetery here in this southeastern town and tried to break into a display case which held the relics. These included samples of Padre Pio's hair, gloves and gauze used to wrap his stigmata, the wounds he allegedly bore for over 50 years and which matched those of the crucified...

The Little Child Jesus statue from Bethlehem. San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, Jan 29, 2010 / 02:49 am (CNA).- Marking the first time the statue has ever left its sanctuary in Bethlehem, the original wooden sculpture of the "Little Child" Jesus was brought by its guardian, Fr. Jerzy Kraj, to the Sanctuary of St. Giovanni Rotondo on Thursday. During its visit, the statue will be taken to the children's cancer ward of a hospital founded by St. Padre Pio. "With immense joy," announced the Capuchin Minor Friars among whom Saint Pio lived, "we will live here, in San Giovanni Rotondo,...

Far into the night, at the coldest time of the year, in a chilly grotto, more suitable for a flock of beasts than for humans, the promised Messiah – Jesus – the savior of mankind, comes into the world in the fullness of time. There are none who clamor around him: only an ox and an ass lending their warmth to the newborn infant; with a humble woman, and a poor and tired man, in adoration beside him. Nothing can be heard except the sobs and whimpers of the infant God. And by means of his crying and weeping he...

The word angel is derived from the ancient Greek word aggelos which means messenger. The angels are God's instruments or messengers whom he uses to communicate his will. References to the celestial or non-corporal beings better known as angels, are mentioned more than 100 times in the Old Testament and more than 150 times in the New Testament. From the first book of Genesis to the last book of Revelation, scriptures speak of the existence of angels. In the book of Genesis, the three men who appear to Abraham are angels who have taken human form (Genesis 18:2). An...

Padre Pio (1887-1968) affords a striking modern instance of stigmata. He was born Francesco Forgione into a peasant family at Pietrelcina, north-east of Naples. His parents lacked nothing in devotion, attending Mass daily, saying the rosary nightly and fasting three times a week. Although illiterate, they knew the gospels well, and passed on their knowledge to the children. (Francesco had an elder brother, Jack, and three younger sisters.) By the age of five Francesco was exclusively religious. For play, he would sing hymns, pray and pretend to be a priest. For conversation, he turned to Jesus, the Virgin and his...

Today is St. Padre Pio's birthday.  It is mine as well.  With the spiritual battle intensifying all around us as more and more abandon the Faith of our Fathers, I thought I would post the following thoughts on spiritual warfare from some of our Church's great prayer-warriors: "Spiritual combat is another element of life which needs to be taught anew and proposed once more to all Christians today. It is a secret and interior art, an invisible struggle in which we engage every day against the temptations, the evil suggestions that the demon tries to plant in our hearts." - Pope...

From a fascinating article by Frank M. Rega. Shortly after World War II was over, a young Polish priest who was studying in Rome, Fr. Karol Wojtyla, visited Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo. This encounter took place around 1947 or 1948. At that time in post-war Italy, it was possible to have access to Padre Pio, since travel was difficult and great crowds were not besieging the Friary. The young priest spent almost a week in San Giovanni Rotondo during his visit, and was able to attend Padre Pio’s Mass and make his confession to the saint. Apparently, this...

Intruders attempted to steal relics of the Italian National Hero Padre Pio (1887-1968) in the dead of night. Rome (kath.net/KAP) Intruders attempted to steal relics of the Italian National Hero Padre Pio (1887-1968) in the dead of night. The thieves broke into the chapel crypt of the south Italian city of Saint Giovanni Rotundo, according to the Roman daily 'La Republica' (Monday-Edition) which was reported to the local police. There the perpetrators broke through the bulletproof glass, behind which the reliquary of the Capuccin Monk is located.

SALT LAKE CITY — The last time Rosaelia Nevarez was diagnosed with cancer, her doctors weren’t optimistic about her chances for recovery. She needed an emergency operation, they said, and suggested she call her family to her hospital bedside. During the operation, she dreamed of the Virgin Mary. “She said, ‘You will be OK. You don’t have to be afraid,” Nevarez said. Appearing with Mary was Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, a saint Nevarez had heard of but didn’t know much about. Though a Catholic, Nevarez had left the Church several times, “but my faith has always been that without God...

Why build an ordinary everyday statue in commemoration of one of Catholicism’s most cherished saints, when you can build one that literally delivers rays of light to the people? Padre Pio has a special significance for Italian Catholics, who pray to him more often than to Jesus or the Virgin Mary, so perhaps it’s not too surprising that curators of his shrine have decided to build the kind of monument that will get worldwide attention: a 60-foot statue capable of collecting solar energy. Born Francesco Forgione in 1887, Padre Pio has a massive global following that is expected to pony...

On this feast of St. Pio I decided to revisit a homily I delivered earlier this year, when my parish dedicated a special chapel in his name. A snip: One of my favorite stories about him happened during the early 1960s Italy was in crisis. The Red Brigade was sparking violence in Rome, and it was considered dangerous to travel around the country. For protection, people began carrying pictures of Padre Pio. During this time, Padre Pio had to leave his village to visit Rome, and one of the other friars asked him, “Aren’t you worried about the Red Brigade?”...

During World War II, many Allied pilots failed to complete their missions over the Italian town of San Giovanni Rotondo. It seemed a Franciscan friar flying through the sky was staying their hands, preventing them from dropping their bombs. One aviator after the other testified to this otherworldly phenomenon, corroborating one another’s incredible tale of supernatural intervention in the midst of battle. The friar, of course, was Padre Pio of Pietrelcina — now St. Pio, whose feast the Church celebrates on Sept. 23. And the story, of course, is private revelation; Catholics are free to believe or disbelieve its veracity...

The main altar at the church where Padre Pio used to say Mass It was 1965.  My brother and sister-in-law (“sis” for short) had wanted to have a baby in the first five years of their married life but all attempts failed. Anxious and getting desperate, my sis agreed to travel to a then-sleepy town called San Giovanni Rotondo — about a four-hour drive from Rome, Italy — to meet Padre Pio, the Capuchin friar who bore the nail wounds of Jesus on the cross. She said, “I waited for three hours at the confessional room.  Finally, I saw Padre Pio motioning...

» 06/21/2009 12:38VATICANPope: a life of prayer and charity like Padre Pio, against activism and secularisation Benedict XVI visits San Giovanni Rotondo and proposes the characteristics of the Saint from Pietrelcina to capuchin monks, Padre Pio spiritual groups and all faithful. The Pope prays before the body of the saint. San Giovanni Rotondo (AsiaNews) –  “Simplicity”, humility and having been “seized by Christ”, the characteristics of Padre Pio, part of the inheritance he left his brother capuchins, the prayer groups inspired by him and all Christians, to combat secularism and activism: this was the pope's message during his pastoral visit...

  Shortly after World War II was over, a young Polish priest who was studying in Rome, Fr. Karol Wojtyla, visited Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo. This encounter took place around 1947 or 1948. At that time in post-war Italy, it was possible to have access to Padre Pio, since travel was difficult and great crowds were not besieging the Friary. The young priest spent almost a week in San Giovanni Rotondo during his visit, and was able to attend Padre Pio’s Mass and make his confession to the saint.   Apparently, this was not just a casual...