Luke 8:16-18 Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)

Saint Padre Pio, Painted by John McCoy, Painted in 2017, Oil on canvas © John McCoy Art, all rights reserved

Gospel Reading

Jesus said to the crowds: ‘No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed. No, he puts it on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be known and brought to light. So take care how you hear; for anyone who has will be given more; from anyone who has not, even what he thinks he has will be taken away.’

Reflection on the painting

Today, we celebrate one of the Church’s most beloved and widely venerated saints of modern times: Padre Pio. Born Francesco Forgione in 1887 in Pietrelcina, Italy, he displayed a profound religious devotion from a young age, eventually joining the Capuchin order at the age of 15 and was ordained a priest in 1910. Throughout his life, Padre Pio experienced intense spiritual and physical sufferings, most notably receiving the stigmata in 1918, the wounds resembling those of Christ’s crucifixion, which he bore for 50 years. His reputation as a holy man spread rapidly, with thousands flocking to him for confession, guidance, and healing, as he was believed to possess miraculous powers of healing, bilocation, and reading souls. He also founded a hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo, where he spent much of his life. He died there in 1968, aged 81. He was canonised in 2002 by Pope John Paul II. Even today, devotion to Padre Pio remains widespread, with shrines, images, and popular devotions dedicated to him in churches across Rome and around the world. San Giovanni Rotondo, where St. Pio lived and is now buried, attracts an astonishing 8 million pilgrims annually, surpassing even the well-known pilgrimage sites of Lourdes and Fatima. In terms of visitors, it is second only to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. Our painting by John McCoy depicts Padre Pio with his wrists wrapped in bandages, covering the stigmata he bore. He raises his hands towards a radiant light descending from above, offering his sufferings to God in a gesture of profound surrender. The subdued brown and beige tones, along with the stripped-back colour palette, mirror the simplicity and humility that characterised Padre Pio’s spiritual life—a life lived entirely in service to God. The painting’s restrained aesthetic captures the essence of his inner sanctity, focusing on the serenity and strength drawn from his relationship with the divine.

by Father Patrick van der Vorst