Francesco Forgione, more popularly known as Padre Pio, was born on 25 May 1887 in Pietrelcina, Italy and would one day capture the attention of the Christian world as the priest with stigmata.

As a young child, he already felt closeness to God.  He would sleep on a stone floor and use a stone pillow as one of the many forms of penances on himself.  His mother claimed that he was able to communicate with Jesus, the Virgin Mary and his guardian angel.  He would also experience occasional heavenly…