A collection of relics of Saint Padre Pio will be on display Saturday, Oct. 6, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 907 S. Dixie Blvd., as part of a national tour commemorating the 50th anniversary of his passing. Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione on May 25, 1887, in the town of Pietrelcina, Italy. He later took the name Pio in honor of Pope Pius I, and was ordained in 1910 at the age of 23.
Known for both his mystical visions of Christ and his miraculous gift of healing, Pio is also remembered for bearing stigmata marks on his hands. Stigmata is the term the Catholic Church uses to speak about the wounds an individual receives that correspond to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ. The marks can appear on the forehead, hands, wrists and feet.
