Early life and entry into the Capuchins
Francesco Forgione was born on 25 May 1887 in Pietrelcina in the archdiocese of Benevento to Grazio Forgione and Maria Giuseppa De Nunzio and was baptized the following day. At the age of twelve he received Confirmation and First Holy Communion. On 6 January 1903 he entered the Capuchin novitiate at Morcone, where later that month he received the Franciscan habit and the name Fra Pio. After completing the novitiate he professed simple vows and on 27 January 1907 made his solemn profession.
Formation, ordination, and health-related delay
Following his priestly ordination on 10 August 1910 at Benevento, Fra Pio remained with his family until 1916 because of poor health. In September 1916 he was assigned to the Capuchin monastery of San Giovanni Rotondo in Puglia, where he would remain for the rest of his life. There he embraced the full demands of his Capuchin vocation, living the evangelical counsels with generosity and practicing poverty, chastity, obedience, and mortification in the spirit of Saint Francis.
Assignment to San Giovanni Rotondo and daily ministry
At San Giovanni Rotondo Padre Pio carried out an extensive daily ministry among the faithful who came to the monastery. He celebrated the Eucharist with profound devotion, considering it the highest point of his apostolic activity, and the faithful who assisted at his Mass perceived the fullness of his spirituality. He also gave himself without reserve to the direction of souls and the reconciliation of penitents.
Apostolate of the confessional and spiritual direction
The apostolate of the confessional formed the most distinctive feature of his priestly service. For more than fifty years he received countless pilgrims who sought his counsel and sacramental absolution, often spending long hours hearing confessions. Through this ministry he revived faith, distributed grace, and brought spiritual light to those who approached him.
Prayer, the Cross, and interior life
Prayer was the center of Padre Pio's interior life. He spent entire days and much of the night in colloquy with God, declaring that in books one seeks God but in prayer one finds Him, and that prayer is the key that opens God's heart. He wished to be known simply as "a poor friar who prays." His faith led him to accept the mysterious will of God, and he understood that the path to his final end lay in following the divine Head by the way of abnegation and the Cross.
Charitable works and the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza
On the plane of social charity Padre Pio labored to alleviate the sufferings of many families. His principal work was the foundation of the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza hospital, which he inaugurated on 5 May 1956 to provide care for the poor and the sick. In the poor, the suffering, and the sick he recognized the image of Christ and directed his charity especially toward them.
Final years, death, and rapid spread of devotion
In his final years Padre Pio's health, never robust, declined rapidly. He died peacefully at San Giovanni Rotondo on 23 September 1968 at the age of eighty-one. His funeral drew an extraordinary multitude of the faithful, and devotion to him spread rapidly throughout the world, especially in southern Italy.
Beatification and canonization
Padre Pio was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 2 May 1999 and canonized by the same pontiff in Saint Peter's Square on 16 June 2002. His relics rest in the sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina beside the monastery of San Giovanni Rotondo, now a major place of pilgrimage, while the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza continues his mission of charity.
May Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest intercede for us, and may we imitate today the holiness this Life has shown.
