The Saint Padre Pio Novena

The Saint Padre Pio Novena is a nine-day Catholic prayer offered through the intercession of Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, the twentieth-century Italian Capuchin stigmatist canonized by Pope Saint John Paul II on June 16, 2002. The novena is prayed for serious personal needs, healing (physical and spiritual), and for the conversion of those for whom one prays.

Origin and historical development

Padre Pio (born Francesco Forgione, 1887-1968) received the stigmata in 1918 and bore the wounds of Christ for fifty years, the longest verified stigmatic record in Catholic history. He was a Capuchin Franciscan friar at the friary of San Giovanni Rotondo in southern Italy and was one of the most sought-after spiritual directors of the twentieth century.

The novena form is recorded in Padre Pio's own letters. He prayed it for the intentions of those who wrote to him; by his own account, in the final years of his life he prayed for the intentions of approximately fifteen thousand correspondents per year. He encouraged the lay faithful to pray it for serious needs, with the assurance: "Pray, hope, and don't worry."

Structure of the novena

The novena follows a simple structure: each day consists of a Scripture passage, a brief reflection drawn from Padre Pio's letters or sayings, and a prayer composed by Padre Pio himself for the intentions of the petitioner. Each day's prayer is brief and may be added to one's daily Catholic prayer alongside the Holy Rosary.

When the novena is prayed

The traditional dates of the novena are September 14 through September 22, ending on the eve of Padre Pio's feast on September 23. The novena may also be prayed at any time of year for personal intentions; in fact, the most common Catholic practice is to begin the novena on the day a serious need arises rather than tying it to the feast.

Theological foundation

The novena rests on the Catholic theology of the Communion of Saints: Padre Pio in heaven continues the intercessory work he carried on so intensely during his earthly life. His charism of intercession is now exercised from the heavenly side of the communion he served while on earth.

For the related Catholic teaching on Padre Pio's bodily stigmata and what it represents in the Catholic devotional tradition, see What is a relic?.

Pairing with other prayers

The Padre Pio Novena pairs naturally with the Holy Rosary (Padre Pio called the Rosary "the weapon" of the Catholic soul) and with daily Mass attendance, which Padre Pio himself celebrated with extraordinary devotion. For other novenas in serious needs, see the Saint Jude Novena (impossible causes) and the Surrender Novena.

Sources

The prayer texts are drawn from Epistolario di Padre Pio, the four-volume collected letters of Padre Pio published by the Capuchin Order, and from the standard devotional collections of his sayings. The novena structure has been preserved by the friary of San Giovanni Rotondo since Padre Pio's death in 1968.