Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, born on May 25, 1887 in Pietrelcina, Italy, was an Italian priest and saint of the Roman Catholic Church. Saint Pio died on September 23, 1968 in San Giovanni Rotondo and was canonized on June 16, 2002. His feast day is on September 23rd.                                                                                                                                         

Born into a devout Roman Catholic family, young Francesco consecrated himself to Jesus at age 5. At age 15, he joined the Capuchin order and took the name Pio in honor of St. Pius I. In 1910, the year in which he became a priest, he received what are known as the invisible stigmata (bodily marks corresponding to the wounds of the crucified Jesus) for the first time, though they eventually healed. He received the stigmata again in 1918, and this time, the wounds remained until his death. These, and other signs of holiness, such as his reported ability to bilocate, drew growing numbers of pilgrims to him. He was noted for his charity and piety.

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