Born in 1887 in the small farming town of Pietrelcina (Italy), Padre Pio, whose real name was Francesco Forgione, is quite famous all over the world for all the miracles and healing linked to him. Even if his family was poor in material goods, they were certainly rich in their faith and in the love of God. Since he was very young, Francesco has shown clear signs of extraordinary grace. He is celebrated on 23 September and he is considered the Patron Saint of Civil defense volunteers, adolescents, Pietrelcina and Stress relief.
Discover more about the life of Saint Padre Pio from Pietrelcina and recite the powerful prayer for healing at the bottom.
Life of Padre Pio
When he was only five, he decided to dedicate his whole life to God and the religious life. According to his mother, he was a quiet child who, from his earliest years, loved to go to church and to pray. He really felt a great devotion for God and the Saints.
Due to his young age, he was easily able to see and communicate with his guardian angel, Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
At the age of 15, Francesco was admitted to the novitiate of the Capuchin Order of the Friars Minor in Morcone, Italy. He was admired by his fellow-students as well as by his Superiors for his exemplary behavior and his deep piety that always characterized him for his whole life. One of his companions said:
“There was something which distinguished him from the other students.
Whenever I saw him, he was always humble, recollected, and silent.
What struck me most about Brother Pio was his love of prayer.”
In August 1910, at the age of 23, Padre Pio was ordained to the priesthood.
The celebration of the Holy Mass was for Padre Pio the center of his spirituality. Due to the long pauses of contemplative silence, his Mass could sometimes last several hours. Everything about him spoke of how intensely he was living the Passion of Christ. In fact,
His parish community was deeply impressed by his deep piety and, one by one, they began to come to him, seeking his counsel. His Mass seemed to be a life changing experience to which everyone wanted to take part, from every corner of the world.
Padre Pio, understood above all else as a man of prayer, prayed almost continuously and his prayers were usually very simple: that is why he was so followed by the faithful. He loved to pray the rosary and recommended it to others.
Church and Convent of Padre Pio in Pietrelcina (Italy).
Padre Pio and Illness
Padre Pio suffered from poor health his entire life, once saying that his health had been declining from the time he was only 9. Due to his precarious health, he was separated from his religious community for more than five years due to his precarious health.
Even if his prolonged and debilitating illnesses remained a mystery to his doctors, Padre Pio decided to offer all of his bodily sufferings to God as a sacrifice, for the conversion of souls. In addition to experiencing physical illness, he experienced many spiritual sufferings as well. In a letter to his spiritual director, Father Benedetto Nardella, he said:
“For a long time I have felt in myself a need to offer myself to the Lord as a victim for poor sinners and for the souls in Purgatory. This desire has been growing continually in my heart so that it has now become what I would call a strong passion. It seems to me that Jesus wants this”.
The marks of the stigmata, the wounds of Christ, appeared on Padre Pio’s body, on Friday, September 20, 1918, while he was praying before a crucifix and making his thanksgiving after Mass. He was 31 and became the first stigmatized priest in the history of the Church. With resignation and serenity, he bore the painful wounds in his hands, feet, and side for fifty years.
If you are devoted to St. Padre Pio, you can now have the religious medal dedicated to this famous Catholic Saint. Ask for it to be blessed by Pope Francis and get its reverse engraved.
Healing prayer to Padre Pio
You have always shown mercy and compassion for the sick,
and you have given us a shining example of faith and obedience to the will of God, our Lord.
Beloved Padre Pio, let us place our loved ones who are sick in your hands,
we completely entrust to your care all the terminally ill who have no earthly hope,
and we humbly ask you to carry out a miraculous healing work for them.
O glorious Padre Pio,
dry their tears, give them confidence and hope.
Stay close to them, every day, in weakness and pain.
Envelop them with your kindness,
so that they do not lack the strength and courage to face their illness with tenacity.
Padre Pio, make my healing prayer worthy of being heard in heaven.
Through your intercession, Padre Pio,
may the power of God and the Holy Spirit flow into every cell of their body,
and reach the depths of the soul, to purify them and heal them from all evil.
Sweet Padre Pio,
I know that to ask for and obtain the miracle of healing,
my faith must be pure and sincere,
for this reason I open my soul and my heart to you.
Fill me with clear light, fill my selfishness with your infinite goodness,
make me more charitable and teach me to be more generous,
without seeking an earthly reward.
You are my guide, the joy of my heart, my example of a life lived for Christ.
Padre Pio, you came into the world to bring us the embrace of Jesus our Lord,
which is why it strengthens my hope of seeing (say the name of the loved one you want to be healed) healed from his/her ills.
Most Clement Padre Pio,
show me your love and grant me the healing of (say the name of the loved one) for the glory of our Lord who lives and reigns forever and ever.
Amen.
Use this wonderful hand-carved statue in wood for your prayers to St. Pio and invoke his protection and healing. Help your loved ones to overcome their hard times with a special blessed gift.
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