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Wednesday, September 16, 2020, 7:00 AM - 7:00 PMHe’s been called, “A Saint for Our Times.” Ordained a priest in 1910, in 1918 the five wounds of our Lord’s passion appeared on his body, making him the first stigmatized priest in the history of the Catholic Church. His whole life was marked by long hours of prayer and continual austerity.
His letters to his spiritual directors reveal the ineffable suffering, physical and spiritual, which accompanied him all through his life. They also reveal his deep union with God, his burning love for the Blessed Eucharist and Our Blessed Lady. In 1940, he developed a Home for the Relief of Suffering for all of God’s children in pain in body or soul. Padre Pio’s international network of prayer groups for the support of the facility continues to live on and grow today.
Worn out by over half a century of intense suffering and constant apostolic activity, Padre Pio died on September 23, 1968. On June 16, 2002, Pope John Paul II proclaimed Padre Pio, “Saint Pio of Pietrelcina”.
