Wyatt North - The Life and Prayers of Saint Padre Pio

The new Quick Facts section in The Life and Prayers collection provides the reader with a collection of facts about each saint!

Born:

May 25, 1887, Pietrelcina

Died:

September 23, 1968, San Giovanni Rotondo

Feast :

September 23 rd

Canonized:

June 16, 2002, Rome, Italy by Pope John Paul II

F aith, it seems, is a formidable bulwark, against the moral erosion of poverty. The Forgione family owned little in the way of luxuries, but they possessed a resolute amount of faith. Giuseppa De Nunzio and Grazio Maria Forgione were illiterate peasants, yet from among their six children emerged a daughter who would become a nun, and a son who would become a saint.

Padre Pio is notable not for his erudition or even his teachings, per se, but for the man he was and the intercessor he continues to be. Pio gave himself to Christ as a spiritual victim for the souls of sinners. With sweetness, humility, and good cheer, he brought everyone who encountered him closer to Christ.

People who met him understood immediately that they were in contact with a Christlike figure. Those who attended his Mass and saw his union with the divine felt as though they had witnessed in person Christs Passion on the Cross. During his lifetime, Padre Pio brought vast numbers back to devotion to Christ, and, as he himself foretold, in death he has been able to do still more.

F rancesco (Francis) Forgione was born on May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina , a small town located in the rough hill country of southern Italy, near Naples, in the province of Benevento. His family was quite poor but not as poor as some, because they owned a parcel of land, which they were able to farm. Either seven or eight children (the records are inconclusive) were born to Giuseppa and Grazio , of whom only five survived. Francesco was the second eldest of the surviving children and was given the name of a previously deceased infant sibling.

The family was devoutly religious, going to church and praying the Rosary daily and attending Mass faithfully every Sunday. Unlike the other men of the village, Grazio attended church with his wife rather than waiting outside. Although illiterate, Grazio knew the stories of the Bible by heart and imparted them to his children. Giuseppa abstained from meat three times a week. She expressly dedicated Francesco to Jesus and the Madonna at the time of his baptism, which probably influenced the boys consciousness growing up.

Francesco was precociously religious even as a child and spent a good deal of his time in prayer and meditation. His task as a young boy was to tend the familys few sheep, which for a time kept him from school. Like his mother, he did not like to be around swearing. He would stop playing and leave if another child used inappropriate language. He was remembered by his peers as a boy like other boys, perhaps a bit more proper than some . Some of his contemporaries may even have viewed him as priggish: he was sometimes made the target of pranks designed to get him into trouble. At times Francesco turned the other cheek, but there were also occasions when he struck back in kind. Even as an adult, Francesco enjoyed a good joke.

From a young age, Francesco knew that he was meant to be a priest. As a boy, perhaps around age ten, he encountered the bearded Fra (Brother) Camillo , a questing friar from the nearby Capuchin friary at Morcone , who would come to the area seeking alms to support the brothers. The friar was well liked by the youngsters round about because of his cheerful disposition and the small gifts of nuts and religious items that he dispensed to the children. Years later, Padre Pio joked that he was so impressed by Brother Camillos striking black beard that he decided then and there to join the Capuchins.

The Order of Capuchin Friars Minor is a branch of Franciscans founded in 1525 to revive the fundamental principles of St. Francis. The name Capuchin comes from the hood ( cappuccio ) worn by members of the order. Simplicity and austerity are basic tenets of the Capuchins. Members are known by their beards, brown robes, white cord girdles with attached crucifix, and sandals . In Padre Pios time, they lived in small groups and obtained their needs through begging, hence the questing Brother Camillo . The Capuchins are notable for their work in preaching and ministering to the poor and marginal, and have also had a missionary emphasis. Over time, Francesco Forgione would become exemplary in precisely these functions.

Meanwhile, however, there was a problem. The public school in Pietrelcina only lasted for three years. When Giuseppa and Grazio investigated whether young Francesco would be accepted by the Capuchins, they learned that he would first need more education. Private schooling would take more money than they could muster, so it was decided that Grazio would go abroad to earn the funds. (In time, Grazios eldest son, Michelle, would join him.) Francescos father spent many years in the US earning money for the family, but he was able to return periodically for extended visits. As a result of this sacrifice, the general welfare of the family improved, and they were able to purchase more land. Francesco, for his part, received the schooling he needed to join the Capuchins.