1887 - 1968
Padre Pio, born Francesco Forgione on May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina, Italy, was a Capuchin friar, priest, and mystic known for his deep spirituality and the ability to bear the stigmata, which are wounds resembling those of Christ. He became widely recognized for his work in the confessional, his healing ministry, and his founding of the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo. Padre Pio was canonized as a saint by Pope John Paul II in 2002.