Saint Padre Pio: Part 9

So far I've been sharing with you the facts about Saint Padre Pio's many spiritual gifts he received from God and which used to help and comfort and save souls. Today I'd like to begin sharing about Padre Pio's personal background, as told by Dorothy M. Gaudiose in a little pamphlet she has allowed me to quote. She worked for Padre Pio for three years in Italy, wrote two books about him, and was a dear friend of mine. Here is part of what she wrote. I will share the rest with you as the weeks progress.

"Who is Padre Pio?" Dorothy asks. "I shall begin by saying, Padre Pio was a Capuchin priest who wore the habit of Saint Francis of Assisi. Padre Pio was born on May 25, 1887, at Pietrelcina in southern Italy. His parents were Grazio Forgione, also known as Uncle Orazio or Z'Orazio. Padre Pio's mother was Maria Giuseppa DeNunzio Forgione, or Zia Giuseppa, or Aunt Josephine. Padre Pio was baptized Francesco, or Francis, in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, the next day in the parish church. There was an older brother Michael, and later three younger sisters in the family: Felicita, Pellegrina, and Grazia, who later became a nun.

"Francis' parents were simple, humble, hardworking farm people who reared their children in the stern, staunch manner of peasants, placing God above all things.

"Francis was a well-behaved child and always obeyed his parents. They were never forced to punish him. His mother would sometimes say to him, 'Francis, go out and play with your friends for awhile,' but he would refuse, saying, 'I don't like to play with them because they swear.' Nevertheless, Francis was amiable, well-liked, and respected by everyone in the village and an example for other boys.

"When old enough," continued Dorothy, "Francis often accompanied his parents to work in the fields and later tended the sheep.

"At the age of five, Francis expressed a desire to become a Franciscan. As he grew older, his father asked him what he wanted to become, and Francis replied, 'I want to be a monk with a beard.' The Capuchins, a branch of the Franciscans, wore beards, and eventually, that is what Francis became, a Capuchin Franciscan."

Next week I'll continue to share more with you about Saint Padre Pio's personal background. In the meantime, ask your Guardian Angel to take your prayer requests to St. Padre Pio, and Padre Pio will do what he can for you. He will take them to Our Lady who will place them before her Divine Son.

"Pray, hope, and don't worry," my dear friend.