September 23 is the feast day of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, known by many as the “saint of the stigmata.” Padre Pio is famous not only for the wounds on his hands and feet that resembled those of Christ but also for his numerous miracles and inexplicable phenomena. Among the amazing anecdotes of Padre Pio, the testimony of Lucia Iadanza stands out, a devotee since her childhood in Pietrelcina, who was under the spiritual direction of the saint.
When Padre Pio was assigned to San Giovanni Rotondo, Lucia often visited him to receive his advice. On Christmas Eve 1922, she decided to spend the evening near Padre Pio. Despite the cold, Lucia and other women waited in the sacristy, warmed by a lit brazier, to attend midnight Mass. While the others slept, Lucia was praying the Holy Rosary. At that moment, she saw Padre Pio come down the internal staircase of the sacristy and stop at the window, where, in a halo of light, he contemplated the Child Jesus in the arms of the Capuchin, whose face became radiant.
When the vision disappeared, Padre Pio, noticing Lucia’s astonished look, approached her and asked her what she had seen. Upon hearing the truth, he warned her not to tell anyone what had happened, adding a humorous but firm warning.
A Prophetic Letter
Padre Pio is also known for a prophetic letter, dated April 7, 1913, addressed to his spiritual director, Father Agostino of San Marco in Lamis. In this letter, Padre Pio recounts a vision where Jesus, beaten and disfigured, shows him a crowd of priests. Jesus, with tears in his eyes, turns away from them, calling them “butchers” for their infidelity and inclination toward Freemasonry. This letter, collected in the first volume of the Epistolary of Padre Pio, is a profound warning about purity and devotion in the priesthood.
Meeting with Franco Zeffirelli
Another remarkable anecdote occurred in 1941 with Franco Zeffirelli, a famous film director. At eighteen, Zeffirelli traveled with some Milanese friends to meet Padre Pio and attend his Mass. During Communion, Padre Pio refused the sacrament to one of the young girls and her friends for not obeying their parents by running away from home. Only after the young girls called their mothers to ask for forgiveness did Padre Pio give them Communion.
These stories highlight the firm and spiritual character of Padre Pio, a devout man whose life was marked by miracles and visions. On his day, we remember his legacy of faith and devotion, and his influence on the lives of many faithfuls.
