Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (1887 – 1968) Padre Pio is undoubtedly one of the most beloved and revered spiritual figures of the twentieth century and perhaps in the history of the Catholic Church. Known primarily for bearing the stigmata, the five bodily wounds of Christ, as well as other phenomena such as bilocation, levitation, and the reading of souls, Padre Pio has come under as much scrutiny and criticism as veneration. What is most overlooked, however, is that Padre Pio’s life of heroic sanctity does not rest in his spiritual phenomena. Still, the fact he lived a life dedicated to his priestly life and the care of the thousands of souls who sought him out for confession and advice. Francesco Forgione was born in Pietrelcina in the southern Italian region of Campania in 1887. Before he was a teen, Francesco knew he was called to give his life to God and entered the Capuchins (a branch of the Franciscans) in 1903 and took the name of Pio. Early in his novitiate, he was graced with ecs