The Church of São José, in Funchal, will mark on Wednesday, September 23, the liturgical memory of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, known worldwide as Padre Pio. The program includes recitation of the rosary at 6:30 PM, celebration of the Eucharist at 7 PM, a moment of reflection and sharing at 7:30 PM and a fellowship at 8 PM.
The date of September 23, the day of the religious figure's death, was established as a liturgical memory by Saint John Paul II during his beatification, celebrated on May 2, 1999, in Saint Peter's Square. Three years later, on June 16, 2002, the same Pope presided over his canonization.
Saint Pio was born on May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina, Italy, with the name Francesco Forgione. He entered the novitiate of the Capuchin Friars Minor in 1903, adopting the name Brother Pio, and was ordained a priest in 1910. From 1916 he was associated with San Giovanni Rotondo, where he developed much of his ministry, particularly marked by the centrality of the Eucharist, the sacrament of Reconciliation and spiritual identification with the Passion of Christ.
The attention to those who suffered led Saint Pio to promote the "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza," a hospital inaugurated in San Giovanni Rotondo in 1956. The Capuchin saint died in the early hours of September 23, 1968, at the age of 81, and his devotion spread throughout the world, remaining associated with prayer, the celebration of the Eucharist, Reconciliation and closeness to those living situations of suffering.
