St. Padre Pio

oday we celebrate with joy the feast of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, affectionately know by Catholics as "Padre Pio". This truly extraordinary saint was a saint of modern times and lived from 1887 to 1968. The incredible stories of his life leave one stunned at the level of holiness and christian perfection he attained here on earth. St. Pio was given numerous mystical gifts that few other saints where know to have. He bore the stigmata for most of his life, endured the sufferings of Christ when celebrating mass, and could bi-locate, heal the sick and "read souls".  His life is clear evidence of what God can do when a soul gives itself entirely to him without reserve or fear. Let us strive to imitate his heroic courage and unbounded love for God and neighbor so that we might live lives of similar greatness.

 St. Pio had many simple sayings that are highly helpful for the average Christian trying to grow in those most important virtues of faith, hope and charity.

“Pray, hope, and don't worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.”

“Joy, with peace, is the sister of charity. Serve the Lord with laughter. ”

“The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain”

“The most beautiful act of faith is the one made in darkness, in sacrifice, and with extreme effort.”

Relics in New York City

The beautiful Neo-Gothic Church of St. John the Baptist in New York City (Manhattan) is dedicated as a shrine to Padre Pio. The Capuchin Friars who staff the church have in their care a number of very unique second class relics of him. It is worth noting that relics and their veneration have long been an important part of Catholic devotional life and express well the churches teachings on the Communion of Saints and the resurrection of the body. In some cases, relics can seem rather morbid or macabre. But the truth be told, in these modern times of ours, relics are seldom understood properly by both Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

I was blessed to be able to pray at the shrine and take a few photos this past June.

One of his gloves

One of his socks 

A small piece of blood-stained cloth

Fascinating Images

Given the times in which he lived, there exist hundreds of photos and a handful of videos of Padre Pio taken throughout his life. Particularly notable are those of him celebrating the Holy Mass. During his celebration of the mass, he would often have intense mystical experiences and would suffer immensely. This can be seen very readily in his face and eyes in these images. At mass, he witnessed the sufferings of Jesus and suffered them himself as priest and "Alter Christus". Of this mystical participation in Christ's passion, he wrote:

"I suffer all what Jesus suffered, from the Garden to the Cross."

"I inadequately suffer to the extent a human creature can possibly suffer."

"I suffer the agony of death like Jesus in the Garden Gethsemane."

"The sufferings are so acute that they can neither be described nor imagined."

"I suffer the bitterness of gall very often during the Mass."

"I suffer the most from the Consecration to the Communion."

"My suffering is insignificant compared to the suffering Jesus experienced."

"I don’t want my Calvary to be alleviated; rather to make it harder. We must suffer."

"The offertory is the moment when the soul becomes detached from all that is profane."

"I suffer the crowning of thorns during the Holy Mass and also before and after it."

"Without the crown of thorns the immolation would not be complete. The thorns are around the whole head."

"The crown of thorns is never taken away. The head and the heart are the wound that hurt the most."

"I suffer the scourging from the beginning to the end of the Mass, but more intensely after the Consecration."

You can read more about these mystical experiences of his and see many powerful photos here: The Mass with Padre Pio

The last mass he celebrated before his death. At this point, his wounds had healed.

St. Padre Pio, Pray for Us!