Today the Church celebrates Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, better known as Padre Pio, the Capuchin Franciscan priest remembered for his extraordinary life of prayer, his ministry of reconciliation and his care for the sick and suffering.

Born Francesco Forgione in southern Italy in 1887, he entered the Capuchin Franciscans as a teenager, taking the name Pio. He was ordained a priest in 1910 and, in 1916, was assigned to the friary at San Giovanni Rotondo, where he would spend most of the remainder of his life.

In 1918, Padre Pio received the stigmata – wounds corresponding to those suffered by Christ during the Crucifixion. These remained with him for 50 years and brought enormous public attention as well as periods of investigation and restrictions by Church authorities, which he accepted in obedience.

At the heart of Padre Pio’s life, however, was his ministry as a priest. He spent countless hours hearing confessions, celebrated Mass with profound devotion and encouraged people to place prayer at the centre of their lives.

His concern for those who suffered was also intensely practical. He inspired the creation of the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza – the “Home for the Relief of Suffering” – a hospital at San Giovanni Rotondo which opened in 1956 and continues its work today.

Padre Pio died on 23 September 1968. His funeral attracted enormous crowds, reflecting the devotion which had grown around his ministry during his lifetime.

He was beatified in 1999 and canonised by Pope Saint John Paul II on 16 June 2002 before hundreds of thousands of people gathered in and around Saint Peter’s Square.

Padre Pio’s life reminds us of the importance of prayer, reconciliation and loving service to those who suffer.

One of his best-known pieces of spiritual advice remains strikingly simple: “Pray, hope and don’t worry.”

🙏 Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, pray for us.