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SAINTS OF ST JOSEPH'S CHURCH

St. Pio Of Pietrelcina

The Feast of Saint Pio is celebrated on the 23 September. Saint Padre Pio was born Francesco on the 25 May 1887 and when he joined the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin he was given the name of Pius, in Italian translation it is Pio, known to many as Padre Pio.  He was also known as Saint Pio of Pietrelcina.

Padre Pio became famous for exhibiting stigmata for most of his life, thereby generating much interest and controversy.

His life was marked by a growing desire to be identified with Jesus Christ, and Christ on the Cross (as St Paul put it in one of his Letters). He saw his life of surrender in the Franciscan Order as a way of cooperation to the Redemption operated by Christ. Without reference to the Cross there is no sanctity, and there is no Redemption (Epistles II, p 155).

He dedicated his time to prayer, spiritual direction and confessions to the faithful. St John Paul II, in the homily for the Canonization of Padre Pio in 2002 mentioned how he also went to confession to him. That dedication to the Confessional box in the Church of St Giovanni Rotondo attracted larger and larger crowds of faithful every year. He was very demanding with the penitents, but he always made sure that everyone would experience a desire for conversion together with the mercy of God. Most of them would come back to do their confessions there even from far off countries. He said about himself: “I am just a poor friar who only knows to pray”. And he was sure that “prayer was the only key to open the Heart of God”. Together with prayer and dedication to confession of the faithful, he exercised his best efforts to works of charity with the poor and the sick.

He died on 23 September 1968. He was beatified in 1999 and canonised in 2002 by Pope John Paul II. The Sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina is in San Govanni in Rotondo in Italy.

Saint's Prayers

Prayer To Saint Pio

Dear God, You generously blessed Your servant, St. Pio of Pietrelcina, with the gifts of the Spirit. You marked his body with the five wounds of Christ

View Prayer

About the Saint

Feast Day:
The Feast of Saint Pio is celebrated on the 23 September.
Location:
The statue of St Pio is at Niche # 23 on the right transcept of the Church.