Padre Pio
This Sunday September 23rd marks the 50th anniversary of Padre Pio's death. As well 2018 is the 100th anniversary of his visible stigmata- the visible wounds of Christ. On September 20, 1918, while hearing confessions, Padre Pio had his first occurrence of the stigmata: bodily marks, pain, and bleeding in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ. This phenomenon continued for fifty years, until the end of his life. The blood flowing from the stigmata purportedly smelled of perfume or flowers, a phenomenon mentioned in stories of the lives of several saints and often referred to as the odour of sanctity. Padre Pio pray for us!