by

PERFECT VICTIM

SAINTS FOR ALL SEASONS
PIO OF PIETRELCINA

By Brother Patrick

Despite its modern meaning related to shame, disgrace, or dishonor, stigma is word rooted in Latin for a mark made upon the skin with a brand or pointed instrument. The Latin plural for stigma is stigmata. In the Roman Catholic tradition, the stigmata are the scars or wounds that correspond with those of the Crucified Christ.

The stigmata most often consists of wounds to the feet, hands, side, or forehead. Sometimes these wounds bleed; sometimes not. Sometimes these wounds are visible; sometimes not. Most stigmatists suffer severe pain. But the stigmata is not a punishment. It is a blessing. It is a sign of the Lord’s favor and companionship. Jesus anoints a disciple and allows him or her to share in the sufferings of the cross. The Vatican does not maintain a list, but it has recognized more than four hundred stigmatists. They are young and old. They are lay, clergy, and religious. They tend to have three things in common:

First, many stigmatists undergo a trial period during which they suffer physically and spiritually before receiving the stigmatic wounds. These sufferings include insomnia and interior pains that are often called a hidden stigmata. These sufferings also include being attacked by demons, dismissed by bishops and clergy, and ridiculed by friends and family members.

Second, many stigmatists can live without food and drink for long periods of time. It is not fasting. It is not anorexia. It is called inedia by scientists and theologians. Some stigmatists have lived on just the Holy Eucharist for years.

Third, most stigmatists are women. In 2019, the University of Antwerp released a study concluding that 92% of all stigmatists are women. Among them: Saint Margaret of Cortona, Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Rita of Cascia, Saint Angela of Foligno, and Saint Venoica Giuliani.

Some now believe that Saint Paul is the first stigmatist. In the Letter to the Galatians (6:17), he writes: “I bear the marks of Jesus branded on my body.” But most believe that Saint Francis  of Assisi (1181-1226) is the first stigmatist. In 1224, Francis retreated to a mountain hermitage for Saint Michael’s Lent. On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, a winged and crucified seraph appears to him. The seraph is both beautiful and afflicted. When this angelic being departs, Francis bears the wounds of the Crucified Christ. For the last two years of his life, the Poor Man of Assisi conceals the stigmata. Centuries later, another friar tries to hide it, too.

In May 1887, Francesco Forgione is born to a family of poor but faithful farmers. In January 1903, at age fifteen, he enters the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. He is given the name Pio or Pious. True to the name, Brother Pio is devout and dutiful. He is chaste, humble, prayerful, and obedient. In August 1910, he is ordained to the priesthood. At his first Mass, Padre Pio prays: “Jesus, my breath and my life, how I tremble this day as I lift you up in a mystery of love; together with you, may I be for the world the way, the truth, and the life, and through you, a holy priest and perfect victim.”

And so it happens. Padre Pio soon suffers an internal form of stigmata. For eight years, the painful wounds come and go. In August 1918, Padre Pio then experiences a transverberation of the heart. This is a mystical event whereby a person is pierced by the fire of divine love. It is a rare and indescribable pain that unites the heart, the core of one’s being, with the sufferings of the Poor Christ.

Six weeks later, Padre Pio prays before a crucifix in the Convent Church of Our Lady of Grace. In a vision, he sees a figure who bleeds from the hands, feet, and side. Padre Pio is frightened. He feels intense pain in his heart. He feels that his heart is about to burst. The vision disappears. Padre Pio then discovers that the Lord’s wounds are now his wounds, too. His hands, feet, and side are bleeding.

About this experience, he writes: “I am dying of pain because of these wounds and the embarrassment that I feel deep within my soul. I fear that I will bleed to death if the Lord does not hear my heartfelt prayer to relieve me of this affliction.” But Padre Pio’s will is not yet God’s will. The holy wounds bleed for the next fifty years. The Lord blesses Padre Pio with a mysterious gift. The Lord calls him to suffer. The Lord calls him to suffer with him in public. Countless pilgrims and parishioners see the stigmata. It is his cross. It is his life. It is his charism. It is his ministry.

Padre Pio’s prayer is answered. He is now God’s perfect victim. The sainted friar spends the rest of his life caring for those who suffer: those who are sick with illness; those who are sick with sin and sorrow. Padre Pio builds a hospital that is called The Home for the Relief of Suffering. He spends at least twelve hours each day hearing confessions. He devotes himself to sharing God’s love, mercy, and healing. He spends himself in sharing God’s closeness, compassion, and tenderness.

On September 23, 1968, Padre Pio speaks his last words. They are simply: “Jesus. Mary.” Minutes later, all traces of the stigmata are gone. No scabs. No scars. No wounds. No traces of blood. At Padre Pio’s tomb in 2018, Pope Francis (1936-2025) says: “Saint Pio was an apostle of mercy. Saint Pio offered his life and his untold suffering so that his brothers and sisters might encounter the Lord. The decisive way of this encounter is Confession, the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Here a wise life begins and starts fresh; loved and forgiven. Here begins the healing of the heart. Here he invites us. He says to us: ‘Where are you going? To Jesus or back to your sadness? Where are you going? To the One who saves you or back to your despair, your regret, and your sin? Come, the Lord waits for you. Take courage. No reason is so grave as to exclude you from God’s mercy.”

In this spirit, we thank God and we praise the Lord for the extraordinary life and compelling witness of Saint Padre Pio: Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Saint Padre Pio, pray for us! Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us! Saint Clare of Assisi, pray for us! Our Lady of the Angels, pray for us! Pope Francis, pray for us!

Art by Jozef Sedmak – Alamy – 2ACY44

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THE ASSISI PROJECT
A FELLOWSHIP OF FRANCISCANS IN SPIRIT
INTERCESSORY PRAYER MINISTRY

Members of the Assisi Project, ranging in age from 18 to 102, pray each and every day for all who ask for our prayers. If you would like our fellowship to pray for you or your special intention, please contact Brother Patrick at brpatrick@assisiproject.com. In communion with Pope Leo XIV and in solidarity with people of faith and goodwill everywhere, we also pray for peace, truth, and justice. In addition, we pray for all migrants and refugees; for the courage to speak truth to power; and for the poor, the persecuted, and the unjustly imprisoned. Please join us in prayer by clicking the link below! Thank you for your prayers! May God bless you! May the Risen Lord give you peace!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brother Patrick Garvey is co-founder and spiritual director of the Assisi Project. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine, Saint John Seminary, and the Catholic University of America. He is a writer, spiritual director, retreat leader, and university lecturer. He also serves as an Associate Minister in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport in Massachusetts. On October 3, 2023, the Feast of the Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi, Brother Patrick was consecrated as a diocesan hermit by Bishop Mark O’Connell, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Boston with the blessing of Cardinal Sean O’Malley. For more information about the Assisi Project and our good work with adults of all ages and backgrounds, please contact Brother Patrick at brpatrick@assisiproject.com.

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ABOUT US

Founded in 2007, the Assisi Project is a Fellowship of Franciscans in Spirit with friends and followers throughout the world. We are dedicated to helping Christian believers of all ages more faithfully live the Gospel of Christ in the spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi. We are also dedicated to promoting a devotion to Pope Francis (1936-2025) as a patron of peace, mercy, and fraternity in our sick and suffering world.

The Assisi Project is a non-profit, tax exempt charitable organization. Please support our ministry via Pay Pal (see link below) or mail a tax-deductible donation to the Assisi Project, Post Office Box 3158, Gloucester, Massachusetts 01931-3158. The Assisi Project Podcast is produced by the Assisi Project, Inc. Copyright 2025. All rights reserved. May the Lord give you peace!

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