Padre Pio

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Saint Pio of Pietrelcina OFMCap
Official portrait photograph of Padre Pio, c. 1947
Born	Francesco Forgione (1887-05-25)25 May 1887 Pietrelcina, Benevento, Kingdom of Italy
Died	23 September 1968(1968-09-23) (aged 81) San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia, Italy
Resting place	Sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, San Giovanni Rotondo
Venerated in	Catholic Church
Beatified	2 May 1999, Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City by Pope John Paul II
Canonized	16 June 2002, Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City by Pope John Paul II
Major shrine	Sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy National Centre of Padre Pio in Barto, Pennsylvania Parish and National Shrine of Saint Padre Pio in Santo Tomas, Philippines
Feast	23 September
Attributes	Stigmata, Franciscan habit, sacerdotal vestments
Patronage	Civil defense volunteers, Adolescents, Pietrelcina, Stress relief, January blues[1]

Pio of Pietrelcina (born Francesco Forgione; 25 May 1887 – 23 September 1968), widely known as Padre Pio (Italian for 'Father Pius'), was an Italian Capuchin friar, priest, stigmatist, and mystic. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, celebrated on 23 September.^[2]

Pio joined the Capuchins at fifteen and spent most of his religious life in the convent of San Giovanni Rotondo. He was marked by stigmata in 1918, leading to several investigations by the Holy See. Despite temporary sanctions imposed by the Vatican, his reputation kept increasing during his life, attracting many followers to San Giovanni Rotondo. He was the founder of the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, a hospital built near the convent of San Giovanni Rotondo.^{[citation needed]}

After his death, his devotion continued to spread among believers all over the world. He was beatified on 2 May 1999 and canonized on 16 June 2002 by Pope John Paul II. His relics are exposed in the sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, next to the convent of San Giovanni Rotondo, now a major pilgrimage site.^[3]