Love in Action · Week 4 · Grades 6–8
Guided Notes: St. Padre Pio
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
St. Padre Pio
A costly calling
Francesco Forgione was born on May 25, blank 1, in Pietrelcina, Italy, to poor farmers who went to Mass every day.
At 10, he met a blank 2 friar begging for food and decided to become one. A friar is a member of a religious order who lives simply and serves others. His father went to America to earn money for his schooling.
At 15 he joined the Capuchins and took the name Pio. He became a priest on August 10, 1910. In 1916 he was sent to a blank 3 in the mountain town of San Giovanni Rotondo, where he stayed for life.
Hidden wounds, tested trust
On September 20, 1918, praying alone after Mass, he saw a vision of Jesus. Afterward he had bleeding wounds in his hands, feet and side, called the blank 4.
He was embarrassed. He asked God to take away the marks but not the pain, and he wore gloves.
Thousands came for blank 5, the sacrament where we tell our sins to a priest and receive God’s forgiveness. He heard confessions 10 to 12 hours a day.
Some Church leaders thought he was a fake. From blank 6 to 1933 he could not say Mass in public or hear confessions. He obeyed without complaining, and the rules were later lifted.
Padre Pio’s life
Write what happened at each point.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1887 | Write your answer |
| 1903 | Write your answer |
| 1910 | Write your answer |
| 1918 | Write your answer |
| 1931–1933 | Write your answer |
| 1956 | Write your answer |
| 1968 | Write your answer |
| 2002 | Write your answer |
Check your understanding
What did Padre Pio ask of God after receiving the stigmata? Circle one.
- A To take away the pain but leave the marks
- B To give the same wounds to other friars
- C To take away the marks but not the pain
- D To let doctors find a way to heal them
Why is that the right answer?
Check your understanding
How did Padre Pio respond when he was barred from public ministry from 1931 to 1933? Circle one.
- A He obeyed without complaining
- B He left to join another order
- C He wrote to defend his name
- D He kept hearing confessions
Why is that the right answer?
Pray and hope, or feed the worry?
Padre Pio said, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.” Sort each online habit: does it help you live those words, or does it feed worry? Check one box for each.
| Item | Helps me pray and hope | Feeds worry |
|---|---|---|
| Checking likes again and again | ||
| Pausing to pray before replying to a hurtful message | ||
| Scrolling late at night and comparing yourself to others | ||
| Putting the phone away for ten quiet minutes | ||
| Rereading a group chat to see who left you out | ||
| Telling a trusted adult about something upsetting online |
Virtues Padre Pio lived
For each virtue, write how the saint lived it.
| Virtue | How the saint lived it |
|---|---|
| Humility | Write your answer |
| Obedience | Write your answer |
| Mercy | Write your answer |
Check your understanding
Which healing did the Church approve as the miracle for Padre Pio’s canonization? Circle one.
- A A soldier was healed in World War I
- B A boy with meningitis was healed
- C A friar’s wounds closed overnight
- D A pope recovered from an illness
Why is that the right answer?
Think, pair, share
Padre Pio hid the most extraordinary thing about himself. Online, we are pushed to show everything. What is worth keeping between you and God, and why?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “I think Padre Pio hid his wounds because ...”“Something I would not post is ... because ...”“Being humble online could look like ...”
Pair: something my partner said
Let us pray
Lord, we give You our past, our present and our future.
Make us humble, merciful and free from worry.
St. Padre Pio, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
You followed St. Padre Pio from a farm in Pietrelcina to the confessional, and saw humility stronger than fame.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
How could the example of St. Padre Pio shape the way I live, online and offline?
Challenge: Pick one moment each day this week to put your phone down and pray for ten quiet minutes.