Meditation Prayer on Mary Immaculate

St. Pio of Pietrelcina was born as Francesco Forgione in 1877 at Pietrelcina, Italy. At the age of five he reportedly decided to dedicate his life to God, becoming a novice of the Capuchin Friars ten years afterward with the customary vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. He received Holy Orders in 1910, and subsequently served many of the faithful as a spiritual director. Though he suffered a great deal both spiritually and physically, he always remained firm in the confidence of Jesus, Mary, and his Guardian Angel. Padre Pio was also a famed Stigmatist, and died on the twenty-third of September, 1968. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002, and his feast is celebrated on the twenty-third of September.