Padre Pio loved and admired St. Francis to the point that he decided to spend his life in the Franciscan Capuchin Order.
Padre Pio saw St. Francis frequently, while in
ecstasy.
Francesco was self-thought, and by himself read a lot of books, learned several
languages, and he liked enjoying the company of many friends.
Padre Pio went to Mass and recited the rosary daily with his family since his early childhood.
He received informal schooling through private teachers, including
elementary and junior high levels.
In 1201, age 20 Francis was a soldier in a military expedition against Perugia, was taken prisoner at Collestrada, and spent a year in captivity.
In 1204 Francis left for Puglia to enlist in the army of Gualtiero di Brienne. But on his way, in Spoleto he had a celestial vision, and decided to return to Assisi.
In the fall of 1205 in the church of San Damiano the icon of Christ Crucified came alive and said to him tree times: “Francis, Francis, go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins.”
In January 1206, age 25, his father was very indignated with him because of his religiosity.
After a final interview at the presence of the bishop Guido II, Francis
renounced his father and his patrimony, laying aside even the garment he had on,
and started living as a beggar and preaching.
Padre Pio spent the years to 23 preparing for priesthood in the Capuchin order.
He spent the 5 years after ordination as a recruit in the Italian army spending
most of the time in Pietrelcina, where he prayed and meditated and receive the
invisible stigmata..
In 1209, age 28, Francis and his followers went to Rome and got approval from Pope Innocent III to found a new religious order.
He called the community ‘lesser friars” (frati minori), and they lived in a deserted lazar house in Rivo Torto, near Assisi.
Two years later, on Palm Sunday, 28 March 1211 Francis received Clare at the
Porziuncola and established the Order of Poor Dames, later called Poor Clares.
When Padre Pio moved to the convent of San Giovanni Rotondo in 1918, age 31, he encouraged his spiritual children to join the third order of Saint Francis.
He exchanged numerous letters of spiritual direction, promotes prayer groups,
and started first the Saint Francis Hospital, and than the House for the Relief
of Suffering.
In 1217 the growing congregation of 5000 friars followers of Francis was divided in provinces and groups were sent to France, Germany, Hungary, Spain and to the East.
In 1219 Francis went to Egypt. Crossing the lines between the sultan and the
Crusaders in Damietta, he was received by the sultan Melek-el-Kamel.
He visited the holy places in Palestine in 1220.
Padre Pio did not found a new order, and neven went on a mission.
La Verna, a gift to Francis from the count Orlando di Chiusi was his favorite spot for prayer and contemplation.
While he was praying on 14 September 1224, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, he received there the stigmata.
Brother Leo reported: "Suddenly he saw a vision of a seraph, a six-winged angel on a cross. This angel gave him the gift of the five wounds of Christ."
The wound stayed until his death 2 years later.
Padre Pio got the invisible wound in 1910 at the age of 23 in Pietrelcina, and the visible wounds by the Crucifix in the choir of the church in 1918.
He suffered the pain of the stigmata until his death, 58 years later.
Suffering from several ailments, Francis was brought to the Porziuncola were he spent the last days of his life.
He died at the age of 45 on the evening of 3 October 1226 singing Psalm 141.
He was buried at the Church of San Giorgio in Assisi.
Padre Pio stayed in the same convent for 50 years. He died whispering “Gesu’,
Maria.”
Francis preached to the birds, talked to the wolf in Gubbio, created the nativity scene in Greccio.
He was a poet of the creation and called the things in the “Cantico delle creature”: mister brother sun, brother wind, brother fire, sister moon, sister water, sister death, mother heart, madonna poverty.
His prodigies are reported in the “Fioretti” “The little flowers of St.
Francis”
Padre Pio confessed many hours a day, celebrated daily a majestic mystical Mass, recited innumerable rosaries, healed souls and bodies in person and bilocation, built a grandiose hospital for the suffering.
He had special gifts that are unique in the catholic literature, for quantity and variety.
He had permanent visible companionship of his Guardian Angel since his infancy.
He had unparalleled detailed access to the world of afterlife, giving us
spectacular glimpses of it.
On 16 July 1228 less than two years after his death, Francis of Assisi
was pronounced a saint by pope Gregory
IX. His feast day is observed 4 October.
On June 16, 2002, 33 years after his death, Padre Pio was proclaimed saint by
pope John Paul II. His feast day is observed 23 September.
The day after canonization, on July 17, 1228 pope Gregory IX laid the foundation stone for the church.
The Basilica of Saint Francis in
Assisi, built on several levels, was consecrated by Pope Innocent IV in 1253, 25
years after construction was started.
The church of Padre Pio was started in 1994, and inaugurated on July 1, 2004.
On April 24, 2008, after 42 years in the crypt of the Sanctuary of Santa Maria
delle Grazie, the body of Padre Pio was translated in the crypt of the new
church dedicated to him.
In 1959 Padre Pio was show the newly built church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, just before the inauguration on July 1s t.
The church was several times larger than the original church, and to everybody’s surprise Padre Pio was not impressed and called it “a mousetrap”.
He said “Ma che avete
fatto. Nu mastrillo? Doveva essere piu’ grande, molto piu’ grande.” “What did
you make. A mousetrap? It should have been bigger, much bigger.”
The wish of Padre Pio has been fulfilled after his death, with the San Pio church, that he certainly loves.
It is a spectacular new modern rendition of a grandiose
“grazie” “thank you” to God from all the faithful for His generosity in giving
us Padre Pio, the man that reached the
fusion with Christ.