St. Pio of Pietrelcina, better known as Padre Pio, was a Franciscan priest who received the stigmata (wounds of Christ) and bore them for 50 years after offering himself to God “as a victim for poor sinners and for the souls in Purgatory,” as he wrote. He was the first stigmatized priest in the Church. His many spiritual gifts included bilocation (the ability to be in two places simultaneously), prophecy, miracles, healing, the discernment of spirits, the ability to read hearts and to speak and understand languages without study, the gift of seeing angels, the charism of converting hearts, and an “odor of sanctity” that came from his wounds.
When asked about these many charisms and gifts, the humble priest responded, “You know, they are a mystery to me, too.”
At San Giovanni Rotondo monastery in Italy, Padre Pio spent about 19 hours a day in prayer, at Mass, hearing confessions, and leading prayer groups. He also established a hospital. The Lord had also granted him the ability to carry on his mission with only the smallest amounts of food and sleep.
Padre Pio died on Sept. 23, 1968, and was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II on June 16, 2002.
“Prayer and charity–this is the most concrete synthesis of Padre Pio’s teaching,” Pope John Paul II said of Padre Pio.
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