Who is Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina?

Mention the name of this Saint, and you are bound to get smiles from those who are familiar with the work of Padre Pio. Padre Pio or Saint Pio as he is known, was born on May 25, 1887 in Pietrelcina, southern Italy. The son of farmers, Padre Pio dreamed of becoming a priest as a young boy but his parents could not afford to get him an education. Eventually, his father would take a job in the United States so young Francesco Forgione could get private tutoring that would help him get into a monastery. He was eventually tutored privately until his entry to the novitiate of the Capuchin Friars at the age of 15. Although he was determined to engage in priestly duties,  he was of feeble health but over time, he completed his studies and was ordained a priest in 1910.

One day, in September 20, 1918, while in prayer, Padre Pio claimed to see a fiery angel draw its sword and rush to him knifing him in the body with a pain so intense that it paralyzed him in fear. When the angel possibly a seraphim left him, he noticed that he had the stigmata on all areas that Jesus suffered for during the crucifixion. The only Saint who had the same wounds known in history was Saint Francis, and Padre Pio soon attracted a lot of attention from a curious crowd who wanted to know more about him. Many of the church goers were attracted to his confessions and often held him in awe as Padre Pio very often could give saintly advice without even getting an explanation or a brief rundown on the issues plaguing his followers. There is a lot that can be written and mentioned about Padre Pio and the work that he did. He was extremely pious and prayed often sometimes for long hours that many times affected his health. He would write to his spiritual directors describing his concerns and these letters today serve as proof of the priest he was and the painful suffering he took to hide his stigmata. Many times, his bleeding was compared to the scent of roses and Padre Pio never complained about his health although a number of the Capuchin friars were getting concerned over him.

One of his works for the people included the construction of a hospital, Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, for the people which opened on May 5th, 1956 with 300 beds and with thousands in attendance including Padre Pio prayer groups from all over the world as he celebrated Mass on the hospital’s steps.

Saint Padre Pio passed away on September 23, 1968 and his funeral was conducted publicly attracting more than 100,000 mourners from all across Italy.  Many people flock from all over the world today to see Padre Pio who was laid to rest in Our Lady of Grace Church. Many more have testified that Padre Pio had healed them of their illnesses through their prayers to him. On December 18, 1997, by the reading of the decree on the heroic virtues, the Holy Father John Paul II declared Padre Pio “Venerable,” and on June 16, 2002, over 500,000 Padre Pio devotees gathered in Rome to witness Padre Pio declared as a saint and that he would henceforth be called “Saint Pio of Pietrelcina”.

Our Padre Pio statues are made of bonded marble and are designed to use outdoors in the garden or displayed in the home or church. Please email us at tion_art@yahoo.com if you need more information on our Padre Pio statues. These beautiful and I must say priceless statues truly celebrate the saint and if you want to keep a little of this saint with you, you can do it with these Padre Pio statues which are also designed for outdoor use. Our large Padre Pio statue (SKU # 75575) truly celebrates this blessed Saint to grace the gardens of a church or school that reveres this rather little saint who has given the world so much through his prayers and teachings about the Blessed Mother and her beloved Son, Jesus.