Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
Father Pio was born in Pietrelcina (Italy) on May 25, 1887. His name was Francisco Forgione and he took the name of Friar Pío of Pietrelcina in honor of Saint Pío V, when he received the habit of Franciscan Capuchin.
At five years old, the Sacred Heart of Jesus appeared, who laid his hand on the child's head. The little boy, in turn, promised San Francisco that he would be a faithful follower of his. Since then his life was marked and began to have appearances of the Blessed Virgin.
At age 15 he decided to enter the Franciscan Order of Morcone and had visions of the Lord in which he was shown the struggles he would have to pass against the devil. On August 10, 1910 he is ordained a priest. A short time later the fevers and pains that afflicted him returned, so he was sent to Pietrelcina to restore his health.
In 1916 he visits the Monastery of Saint Giovanni Rotondo. The Provincial Father, seeing that his health had improved, tells him to return to that convent where he received the grace of stigmata. According to sources that have not been confirmed, St. John Paul II being a young priest visited Padre Pio to confess and on one of those occasions, being in a trance he told the future Supreme Pontiff: "You are going to be Pope."
Saint John Paul II, during his canonization on June 16, 2002, said of him: "Prayer and charity, this is an extremely concrete synthesis of Father Pio's teaching, which is now proposed to everyone."
Comments
Post a Comment