THE STORY OF SAINT PIO OF PIETRELCINA
Padre Pio (Francesco Forgione) was born to Giuseppa and Grazio Forgione, in the small farming town of Pietrelcina, Italy on May 25, 1887. Although the Forgiones were poor in material goods, they were certainly rich in their faith life and in the love of God.
Even as a young boy, Francesco had already shown signs of extraordinary gifts of grace. At the age of five, he dedicated his life to God. His mother described him as a quiet child who, from his earliest years, loved to go to church and to pray.
When Francesco was fifteen years old, he was admitted to the novitiate of the Capuchin Order of the Friars Minor in Morcone, Italy. He was admired by his fellow-students as well as by his Superiors for his exemplary behavior and his deep spirituality.
On August 10, 1910, at the age of twenty-three, Padre Pio was ordained to the priesthood.. He offered all of his bodily sufferings to God as a sacrifice, for the conversion of souls. Padre Pio with many extraordinary spiritual gifts and charisms including the gift of healing, bilocation, prophecy, miracles, discernment of spirits, the ability to read hearts, the gift of tongues (the ability to speak and understand languages that he had never studied), the gift of conversions, the grace to see angelic beings in form, and the fragrance which emanated from his wounds and which frequently announced his invisible presence
His day began at 2:30 a.m. when he would rise to begin his prayers and to make his preparation for Mass. He was able to carry on a busy apostolate with only a few hours of sleep each night and an amount of food that was so small (300-400 calories a day) that his fellow priests stated that it was not enough food even to keep a small child alive. Between Mass and confessions, his workday lasted 19 hours. He very rarely left the monastery and never took even a day’s vacation from his grueling schedule in 51 years. He never read a newspaper or listened to the radio.
In his monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo, he lived the Franciscan spirit of poverty with detachment from self, from possessions, and from comforts. He always had a great love for the virtue of chastity, and his behavior was modest in all situations and with all people. In his lifetime,Serene and well prepared, he passed away on September 23, 1968 at the age of eighty-one. He died as he had lived, with his Rosary in his hands. Pope John Paul II canonized Padre Pio on June 16, 2002
0923 Saint Pio of Pietrelcina Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
I.O my Jesus, you have said:“Truly I say to you, ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.” Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of [insert your intention.]
Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory be to the Father…Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
II.O my Jesus, you have said:“Truly I say to you, if you ask any thing of the Father in my name, He will give it to you.” Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of [insert your intention.]
Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory be to the Father…Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
III. O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away.” Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of [insert your intention.]
Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory be to the Father…Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender mother and ours.
Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.
Prayer to Saint Pio
O God,
You gave Saint Pio of Pietrelcina,
Capuchin priest,
the great privilege of participating
in a unique way in the passion of Your Son,
grant me
through his intercession
the grace of …
which I ardently desire;
and above all grant me the grace of
living in conformity
with the death of Jesus,
to arrive at the glory
of the resurrection.
Glory be to the Father… (three times)
Prayer for the Intercession of St. Pio of Pietrelcina
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 Crucified, as a powerful witness
to the saving Passion and Death of Your Son.
Endowed with the gift of discernment,
St. Pio labored endlessly in the confessional
for the salvation of souls.
With reverence and intense devotion
in the celebration of Mass,
he invited countless men and women
to a greater union with Jesus Christ
in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
Through the intercession of St. Pio of Pietrelcina,
I confidently beseech You to grant me
the grace of (here state your petition).
Glory be to the father… (three times). Amen.
A Prayer for Trust and Confidence in God’s Mercy by St. Pio of Pietrelcina
O Lord, we ask for a boundless confidence and trust in Your divine mercy, and the courage to accept the crosses and sufferings which bring immense goodness to our souls and that of Your Church. Help us to love You with a pure and contrite heart, and to humble ourselves beneath Your cross, as we climb the mountain of holiness, carrying our cross that leads to heavenly glory. May we receive You with great faith and love in Holy Communion, and allow You to act in us as You desire for your greater glory. O Jesus, most adorable Heart and eternal fountain of Divine Love, may our prayer find favor before the Divine Majesty of Your heavenly Father.
THE MOST POWERFUL HEALING PRAYER BY ST. PADRE PIO
Heavenly Father, I thank you for loving me.
I thank you for sending your Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ, to the world to save and to set me free.
I trust in your power and grace that sustain and restore me.
Loving Father,
touch me now with your healing hands,
for I believe that your will is for me to be well in mind, body, soul and spirit.
Cover me with the most precious blood of your Son,
our Lord, Jesus Christ from the top of my head to the soles of my feet.
Cast anything that should not be in me.
Root out any unhealthy and abnormal cells.
Open any blocked arteries or veins and rebuild and replenish any damaged areas.
Remove all inflammation and cleanse any infection
by the power of Jesus’ precious blood.
Let the fire of your healing love pass through my entire body
to heal and make new any diseased areas
so that my body will function the way you created it to function.
Touch also my mind and my emotion,
even the deepest recesses of my heart.
Saturate my entire being with your presence,
love, joy and peace and draw me ever closer to you every moment of my life.
And Father, fill me with your Holy Spirit
and empower me to do your works
so that my life will bring glory and honour to your holy name.
I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
St. Pio Prayer of Trust and Confidence
O Lord, we ask for a boundless confidence and trust in Your divine mercy, and the courage to accept the crosses and sufferings which bring immense goodness to our souls and that of Your Church.
Help us to love You with a pure and contrite heart, and to humble ourselves beneath Your cross, as we climb the mountain of holiness, carrying our cross that leads to heavenly glory.
May we receive You with great faith and love in Holy Communion, and allow You to act in us, as You desire, for Your greater glory.
O Jesus, most adorable heart and eternal fountain of Divine Love, may our prayer find favour before the Divine Majesty of Your Heavenly Father.
Amen.
Novena to father Pio of Pietrelcina
1ST DAY
Beloved St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you have had the signs of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ on your body. You have carried these stigmata for everyone, enduring both the physical and mental sufferings that racked your soul and body in a continual sacrifice. We beg you to pray for us, so that we will be able to accept both the little and the larger crosses we too must bear during our life on earth and to offer these sufferings to God, assuring us a place with him in Eternal Life.
2nd DAY
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, together with Our Lord Jesus Christ, you’ve been able to withstand the temptations of the Devil. You suffered the beatings and the oppression of the demon of hell, who wanted to have you abandon your journey of holiness. We beg you to pray for us so that, with your help and the help of all of the Heavenly Kingdom, we will be able to find the strength to set sin aside and to persevere in our faith until the day of our death.
3rd DAY
Virtuous St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you love Our Holy Mother very much and have received daily graces and consolations from her. Please, we beg you to pray to the Holy Mother for us. Place in her hands the sorrow for our sins and our prayers of reparation, so that, as at Cana of Galilee, her Son says ‘yes’ to His Mother and our name may be written in the Book of Eternal Life.
4th DAY
Chaste St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you loved your Guardian Angel, who served you well as your guide and as a defender and messenger. The Angels brought the prayers of your spiritual children to you. We beg you to pray for us, so that we may learn to call on our Guardian Angel who is always ready to guide us to what is good and to avoid falling into sinful actions.
5th DAY
Prudent St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you have had a great devotion for the Souls in Purgatory for whom you have offered yourself as a victim to remit their punishments. Please pray for us and ask God to send us the same interest, compassion and love that you have for these souls. In this way, we will also contribute to reducing their suffering and, with our sacrifices and prayers, win for them their necessary Indulgences.
6th DAY
Obedient St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you have loved the sick more than yourself, because you were able to see Jesus in them. You have performed many miracles by healing patients in the name of Jesus and thereby giving them peace of mind. We beg you to pray for us, so that sick patients, through the intercession of Mary, can be healed and their bodies restored so that they may benefit from the Holy Spirit and, therefore, thank and praise God forever.
7th DAY
Blessed St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you have worked in “God’s Plan for Salvation”, by offering your sufferings to free sinners from the chains of the Devil. We beg you to pray for us, so that unbelievers will be converted to the faith, that all sinners will repent in their hearts and that those with lukewarm hearts will find renewed enthusiasm for a Christian life. Finally, pray for all those who are faithful, so that they will persevere on their way to salvation.
8th DAY
Pure St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you experienced great love for your spiritual children and have helped them by purchasing them for Christ with the giving of your blood. Please grant us, who have not met you personally, the opportunity to be considered your spiritual children. In this way, with your protection, guidance and strength, you will obtain for us a special blessing from God, so that we may meet Him on the day of our death at the gates of Heaven.
9th DAY
Humble St. Pio of Pietrelcina, you who loved the Roman Catholic Church, pray for us. May the Master send workers to the harvest and give them the strength and knowledge needed to be children of God. Pray that Our Holy Lady will unite Christian people everywhere, comforting all of them in one great house of the Lord, the lighthouse of our salvation in the storm of life… just as a lighthouse is a beacon for safe return when there is a storm at sea.
Novena to St. Pio of Pietrelcina
This novena to St. Pio was composed right here at the National Centre for Padre Pio.
St. Pio, teach us to pray with Humility so that we may be among the humble to whom the Father promised in the gospel to reveal the mysteries of His Kingdom.
St. Pio, teach us to pray with Faith that will help us to recognize the face of Jesus Himself in the poor and suffering. Support us in our hour of troubles and trials, and should we fall, let us know the joy of the sacrament of forgiveness.
St. Pio, teach us tender devotion to Mary, Mother of Christ and our Mother. To you we entrust the request of presenting our souls to the Virgin of Grace to obtain eternal salvation from the Lord.
St. Pio, you are our friend, consoler of our souls, and help of us sinners. You understand us so well, for you know what it means to suffer. To you we entrust our well-being and that of our loved ones.
St. Pio, to you we entrust our spirit that we may endure the pains we carry in our heart.
St. Pio, accompany us on our earthly pilgrimage towards the blessed Homeland, where we, too, hope to arrive to contemplate eternally the Glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
O glorious St Pio, to you we entrust our plea of intercession to obtain from the Divine Goodness the graces which we so ardently desire. Welcome us under your protection, defend us from all evil, and above all, intercede for us before the Most High, Jesus Christ, so that through the forgiveness of sins we may persevere in doing good. Amen.
O God, You gave St. Pio the great privilege of participating in a unique way in the passion of Your Son. Grant me, through his intercession the grace of….[silently mention your petition]….. which I ardently desire; and above all, grant me the grace to live in conformity with the death of Jesus, to
arrive at the glory of the resurrection.
Glory be to the Father…… (three times)
Hail Holy Queen……
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.
St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.
NOVENA TO PADRE PIO
1st DAY
LOVE FOR JESUS
From the Letter to the Romans (8: 35-39) What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? … In all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, not life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. From the Writings of Padre Pio May the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, enlighten us ever more about the immensity of the eternal inheritance to which we have been destined by the goodness of our Heavenly Father. As our spirit enters this mystery, our soul distances itself from earthly things, and we become desirous of entering our heavenly homeland. (Letters II)
Reflection Prayer Loving Saint Pio, you loved Jesus with an ardent and burning love. You manifested this love by your detachment from worldly pleasures, your great love for “sister poverty” which was your true treasure. Through the humiliations you endured silently, grant that we may walk in the light of Divine Grace, that we may come to eternal salvation, and help make us worthy of the name “Christian” we bear. Glory be to the Father …
2nd DAY
ABANDONMENT AND CONFIDENCE IN GOD
From the Gospel according to Matthew (8: 5-10) When he entered Capernaum, a centurion approached Jesus and appealed to him, saying, „Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully‟. He said to him „I will come and cure him‟. The centurion said in reply, „Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I, too, am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, „Go‟, and he goes; and to another, „Come here‟, and he comes; and to my slave, „Do this‟, and he does it‟. When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, „Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such great faith‟. 2 From the writings of Padre Pio Do not lose confidence in Divine Providence. Trust in God, and abandon yourself to Him. Let Him take care of you. Be calm and you will not be confused…. What I desire is that as your challenges grow, so also may your abandonment and confidence in God grow even more … A soul that trusts in the Lord and places all its hope in Him, has nothing to fear. (Letters II)
Reflection Prayer Loving Saint Pio, you had compassion on human misery, and gave comfort to the afflicted. You obtained graces, consolation and peace for them from the Lord. Help us through the adversities of life, especially in our illnesses and infirmities, not to rebel against them. Help us to accept the will of God with confidence and abandonment in Him. Glory be to the Father …
3rd DAY
PRAYER
From the I Letter to Timothy (2: 1-4; 8-10) First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone … It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up pure hands, without anger or argument. Similarly, too, women should adorn themselves with proper conduct, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hairstyles and gold ornaments, or pearls, or expensive clothes, but rather, as befits women who profess reverence for God, with good deeds. From the Writings of Padre Pio God’s power triumphs over everything; but humble and suffered prayer triumphs over God Himself! It lowers His arm, extinguishes His lightning, disarms Him, overcomes Him, appeases Him and makes Him, I would almost say, a friend and dependent … Let us glance at the divine Master who prayed in the Garden and we will discover the true ladder which unites earth to heaven. We will discover that humility, contrition and prayer make this distance between man and God disappear, an act in such a way that God descends to man, and man ascends to God, so that they end up understanding, loving and possessing one another. (Letters III, 27 August 1915)
Reflection Prayer Loving Saint Pio, you are patron and protector of a host of children and devotees from around the world. Continue to speak to the heart of God, and present our needs to Him. Intercede for us that our prayers may be heard and answered, if they are for the good of our souls and in conformity to the Will of God. Glory be to the Father … 3
4th DAY
THE EUCHARIST
From the Gospel according to Luke (22: 14-20) When the time came he took his place at the table with the apostles. He said to them, „I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for, I tell you, I shall not eat it again until there is fulfilment in the kingdom of God‟. Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, „Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you that from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes‟. Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, „This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me‟. And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, „This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you‟. From the Writings of Padre Pio But what hurts me most is the thought of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. My heart feels drawn by a higher force each morning before I am united with him in the Blessed Sacrament. I have such a hunger and thirst before I receive him that I almost die … (Letters I, 29 March 1911) I think that the Holy Eucharist is a great means through which to aspire to perfection. But we must receive it with the desire and intention of removing from the heart all that is displeasing to Him with Whom we wish to dwell. (Letters III, 27 July 1917)
Reflection Prayer Loving Saint Pio, you were a passionate and loving apostle of the Eucharist. The Mass you celebrated was “life of your life”, the only strength and comfort of your painful days of infirmity. Pray that the Eucharist may also be for us life and support on our difficult journey, that we may attain eternal life! Glory be to the Father …
5th DAY
OUR HEAVENLY MOTHER
From the Gospel according to John (19: 25-27) Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother‟s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, „Woman, behold, your son‟. Then he said to the disciple, „Behold, your mother‟. And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. From the Writings of Padre Pio 4 We must make every effort, like many elect souls, to follow invariably this Blessed Mother, to walk close to her since there is no other path leading to life except the path followed by our Mother. Let us not refuse to take this path, we who want to reach the end of our journey. (Letters I, 1 July 1915) I wish I had a voice strong enough to invite the sinners of the whole world to love Our Lady. (Letters I, 1 May 1912)
Reflection prayer Loving Saint Pio, you had a tender love and devotion for our Heavenly Mother. Help us to render our devotion for this gentle and loving Mother of God ever more profound. Accompany us, that we may confidently approach her motherly heart, that we may love, invoke, and venerate her always with the recitation of her Holy Rosary. Glory be to the Father …
6th DAY
SUFFERING
From the Gospel according to Mark (8: 31-32; 34-35) He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly … He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, „Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.‟ From the writings of Padre Pio Learn how to suffer everything as a Christian, and do not be afraid. There is no suffering, for as insignificant as it may seem, that will not have its merit in eternal life … You suffer with and for Jesus; be assured of this, and on the part of God I beg you to be at peace. Jesus himself is in the depths of your heart when you suffer. You are neither separated nor far from the love of this God Who is so good. (Letters II)
Reflection Prayer Loving Saint Pio you were always a comfort for any human suffering. Look at us who are in dire need of your assistance. From heaven raise your hand wounded by divine love and bless the little ones and those who are vulnerable, the sick and infirm, the abandoned aged, families in difficulty, the world troubled by the evil one, and all of us your devoted children. Glory be to the Father … 5
7th DAY
TEMPTATIONS
From the I Letter of Saint Peter (5: 8-9) Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world are undergoing the same sufferings. From the writings of Padre Pio You must not be surprised, therefore, that our common enemy has done all in his power to make you pay no heed to what I wrote you. This is his task and he receives his reward. But always despise him and arm yourself against him with increasing steadfastness of faith … Temptation is a sure sign that the soul is very pleasing to the Lord. Accept everything, therefore, with thanks. Do not think that this is a mere opinion of mine; no, the Lord himself has pledged it with His divine word: ‘And because you were acceptable to the Lord’, the angel says to Tobit, (and through Tobit, to all those souls who are dear to God) ‘it was necessary that you should experience temptation’. (Letters III, 29 January 1915)
Reflection Prayer Loving Saint Pio, in life you underwent constant battles with Satan, and you were always victorious. Pray that we, trusting in divine assistance and with the protection of the Archangel Saint Michael, may not succumb to the terrible temptations of the devil. Glory be to the Father …
8th DAY
RECONCILIATION
From the Gospel according to John (20: 21-23) Jesus said to them again, „Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.‟ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, „Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained‟. From the Writings of Padre Pio I haven’t a free moment. All my time is spent in releasing my brothers from the snares of Satan. May God be praised. Please do not afflict me further, like the others, by appealing to charity, because the greatest charity is that of snatching souls from Satan so as to win them for Christ. This is precisely what I am doing 6 constantly by night and by day … Innumerable people of all classes and both sexes come here for the sole purpose of making their confession, and I am only sought for this purpose. There are some wonderful conversions. (Letters I, 3 June 1919)
Reflection Prayer Loving Saint Pio, you were a great apostle of the confessional. You snatched many souls from Satan‟s grasp. Lead us and many more brothers and sisters back to the font of pardon and grace. Glory be to the Father …
9th DAY
THE GUARDIAN ANGEL
From the Acts of the Apostles (5: 17-20) Then the high priest rose up and all his companions, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and, filled with jealousy, laid hands upon the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said, „Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life‟. From the Writings of Padre Pio May your good guardian angel always watch over you; be your guide on the rugged path of life; always keep you in the grace of Jesus and sustain you with his hands so that you may not stumble on a stone; protect you under his wings from all the snares of the world, the devil and the flesh … Always have him present to your mind’s eye. Often remember the presence of this angel; thank him, pray to him, always keep him good company … Turn to him in times of supreme anxiety and you will experience his beneficial help.(Letters III, 15 July 1915)
Reflection Prayer Loving Saint Pio, during your life you had a particular devotion to the angels, and a very special devotion to your Guardian Angel. Help us to „understand and appreciate this great gift that God in his excessive love‟ wants to give everyone, by entrusting each person to his particular guidance and protection. Glory be to the Father …
