Let’s begin by trying to consolidate here. Padre Pio was a Capuchin-Franciscan Brother. He what Franciscans refer to as an ordained brother or an ordained friar or a clerical brother or clerical friar. In other words, he was a priest who was a member of an order of brothers. That being said, he was one of millions of spiritual sons of our holy Father Francis of Assisi. If you have a vocation to be like St. Pio, then you’re talking about having a call to the Capuchin-Franciscan life.
The Capuchin-Franciscans are members of the Order of Friars Minor founded by St. Francis in 1209. The order evolved into three branches. The Conventuals, live in large religious houses called convents, hence the name Conventual Franciscan Friars. They have always been very inovled in urban ministry, especially parishes. The Observant Franciscan Friars, often simply called The Franciscans, are the largest branch of the Friars Minor. They are more commonly known for their missionary work and their work among immigrants and minorities. The Capuchin Franciscans, often called the Capuchins, are more focussed on the fraternal life, penance, spiritual direction, retreats, and life in service of sinners and the poor. It is to this branch of the Friars Minor that Padre Pio belonged.
For this reason, he spent most of his life as a confessor and doing great penance for the sins of others. This is part of the Franciscan tradition. The Capuchins stress this ministry than any other branch of the Franciscan family. Other Franciscans are the Brothers and Sisters of Penance. These are friars, sisters, lay people, who spend their lives in penance and living among the poor.
Padre Pio did not spend his life living among the materially poor. But he did spend his live among the morally poor. His entire life was dedicated to healing the soul in the Sacrament of Penance and when not in the confessional, we would spend hours in prayer and penance for the sins of those whose who had not come to confession. Confession and penance play a very important part in the life of the Capuchin friars, whether they are priests or not, it’s irrelevant to them, as long as they can bring sinners to the confessional. That’s their mission.
Early in his life, Padre Pio was imprinted with the stigmata, the wounds of Christ. No one has been able to prove that the wounds were not a miracle. There as never a scientific explanation that satisfied the medical community or any other scientific community. Therefore, at the very least, the wounds on Padre Pio’s body have been written up as unexplained phenomena and at best, as a miracle.
It is important to understand that the mriacle was not done by Padre Pio. He was the beneficiary. The miracle was performed by God. As the famous Franciscan, St. Bonaventure wrote when he wrote about the stigmata of St. Francis, when a person’s actions and prayer reach perfection, there is only one other place to go. That is to become physically transformed into the beloved, which is Christ. The identification between Francis and Padre Pio with Christ crucified was so perfect that they were both marked with the sign of the cross on their bodies. They were, like St. Paul says, “Crucified with him.”
Another interesting phenomenon that is attributed to Padre Pio is the gift of bi-location. Again, no one can prove that it never happened. There are eye-witnesses who are still alive today, who saw him in two places as far away as the USA, at the same time.
One of the characteristics of Padre Pio’s presence was the smell of flowers when he disappeared.
In the end, the man’s holiness is not in his miracles while he was alive. The miracles were the work of God through him for the sake of those who did not believe in God. But for one who truly wants to follow St. Pio, then one must follow Christ in the footsteps of St. Francis. This is what Pio did. He followed Christ by immitating Francis’ journey in his own life. In other words, Pio became a saint because of how he lived the Gospel. His mentor was Francis of Assisi. Those who would aspie to be like Pio, must begin by taking up the Gospel and reading it through the eyes of Francis. This was true of all the Franciscan saints.
I hope this helps.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
