Padre Pio

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Francesco Forgione was born on 25 May 1887 to Grazio Mario Forgione and Maria Giuseppa Di Nunzio, peasant farmers in Pietrelcina, in the province of Benevento, Campania. He had an older brother, Michele, and three younger sisters, Felicita, Pellegrina, and Grazia (who later became a Bridgettine nun); two other siblings died in infancy. Baptized in the Santa Anna Chapel, he was christened Francesco in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. By age five, according to his own account, he had decided to dedicate his life to God. He worked on the land until age 10, looking after the family's small flock of sheep. The family was deeply religious, attending Mass daily, praying the Rosary nightly, and abstaining from meat three days a week in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Though his parents and grandparents were illiterate, they narrated Bible stories. As a young boy, Francesco reported heavenly visions and ecstasies. In 1897, after three years at public school, he was drawn to the friar's life after listening to a young Capuchin seeking donations. His father traveled to the US for work to pay for private tutoring so Francesco could meet academic requirements. On 6 January 1903, at age 15, he entered the Capuchin novitiate at Morcone; on 22 January, he took the Franciscan habit and the name Fra Pio, in honor of Pope Pius I, with simple vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

Reader's Guide

Padre Pio's significance is rooted in his enduring legacy as a spiritual figure and saint. He was ordained a priest on 10 August 1910 by Archbishop Paolo Schinosi at the Cathedral of Benevento, celebrating his first Mass four days later at the parish church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. Due to precarious health, he remained with his family in Pietrelcina until 1916, frequently writing letters of extraordinary literary beauty to his spiritual directors. On 4 September 1916, he moved to the Capuchin Friary of Our Lady of Grace in San Giovanni Rotondo, where he remained until his death in 1968, except for a period of military service. During World War I, he was drafted on 15 November 1915, assigned to the 10th Medical Corps in Naples, but due to poor health was continually discharged and recalled until 16 March 1918, when he was declared unfit. In September 1918, he began to display permanent stigmata on his hands and feet. His reputation for sanctity grew rapidly, attracting hundreds of believers daily. He was known for spiritual gifts including healing, bilocation, levitation, prophecy, miracles, reading of hearts, speaking in tongues, and extraordinary abstinence from sleep and nourishment—one account states he subsisted for at least 20 days on only the Holy Eucharist. He was beatified on 2 May 1999 and canonised on 16 June 2002 by Pope John Paul II. His relics are exposed in the sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, next to the monastery, now a major pilgrimage site. His legacy includes the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza hospital, built near the monastery. He is remembered for his spiritual direction, rosary meditations, and the quote 'Pray, hope, and don't worry.'

Did You Know?

• Francesco Forgione was baptized in the Santa Anna Chapel, which stands upon the walls of a castle, and later served as an altar boy there.
• His father Grazio Mario Forgione traveled to the United States to work and pay for Francesco's private tutoring to meet academic requirements for the Capuchin Order.
• Padre Pio took the name Fra Pio in honor of Pope Pius I, whose relic is preserved in the Santa Anna Chapel in Pietrelcina.
• One account from a Capuchin friar states that Padre Pio subsisted for at least 20 days on only the Holy Eucharist without other nourishment.
• His sister Grazia became a nun of the Bridgettine Order.