The Life and Prayers of Saint Padre Pio Paperback – March 15, 2013

Saint Pio (Pius) of Pietrelcina (born Francesco Forgione) may have strived to be a simple Capuchin Catholic priest, but when all is told, the stories of St. Padre Pio's life and death could fill several hundred pages. Being faced with that much information, it is hard to choose what and how much to put in a short biography. I have studied the life of this saint, and found that the author was careful in picking out pertinent details that rounded out this short biography. The author was able to build a solid timeline with these facts that kept me interested but not overwhelmed. St. Padre Pio suffered greatly all through his life, and yet had no fear of dying. He made death less scary by telling his followers that upon his death - he would be able to do more for people than he could in life. St. Padre Pio was humble in life; Mr. North has done a phenomenal job of showing what a wonderful man he truly was. This book is written for a wide audience, not too complicated - and not so simple adults would not want to read it. I am very comfortable in recommending this book for those seeking some answers to the mysterious life of St. Padre Pio.

This book is not long, but it is excellent. It’s easy to read and presents a lot of helpful, interesting information. The book definitely gave me a much better understanding of Padre Pio and his life. I highly recommend it.

I remember seeing Padre Pio on television as a kid and his bleeding wounds. I knew some that even prayed to Padre Pio after his sainthood. It is amazing to know that progression from a living person to a saint that can be prayed to. I have been so interested in Padre Pio for so many years and have read several books on him, but "The Life And Prayers Of Saint Padre Pio" is head and heals above all those. North did well to research St. Pio's life and it comes through in this book. A great writer as Wyatt North is, this book reads as it should and will be a treasure in any ones library.

Like the other biographies of saints, popes, and other key Catholic leaders written by Wyatt North, this is a short read about the life of Saint Padro Pio. Included at the end of the book are several prayers of Pio. Born in Italy, Saint Padro Pio was a child who grew up to be on of Christ's greatest followers. This was Pio life's mission from the time he was a child to the day he died. Starting out as a Franciscan monk and friar, Pio was eventually ordained as a priest. Through his ministry, he led large groups of people to salvation through his masses, healing ways, miracles, intercession in prayer, and taking of confessions. During the early years of his ministry, the Vatican sought to control and later suppress him. Still the crowds gathered. Ultimately, the Vatican understood that Pio was a force through which Christ worked and in which the Catholic Church needed.In addition to ill health that followed Pio for most of his days, Pio was visited by signs associated with stigmata, the bodily marks, pain, and bleeding in locations corresponding to Christ's crucifixion wounds. Although Pio never sought public acclaim for his wounds, always turning the attention back to Christ, and hiding the wounds and bleeding to the extent possible, people saw Pio for the follower of Christ and sought him out. This was what led the church into investigating whether the stigmata was real or a gimmick. It was real. All charges of against Pio were dismissed by the Vatican. However, the investigation though led to even more publicity and greater crowds and attention for the humble Pio. It was then that efforts to control led to the suppression of Pio's ministry and the isolation of Pio from the world. Ultimately, the Vatican understood that Pio was a force through which Christ worked and in which the Catholic Church needed.Pio's legacy includes the prophecy of Karol Józef Wojtyła as Pope John Paul II, the symbol of Pio as hope during WWI and afterwards during the rebuilding of society, the establishment of worldwide prayer groups, and opening of a hospital.

"The Life and Prayers of Padre Pio" is a great and very inspiring book. I enjoyed it very much learning all about his life. This is a 5 star book for sure the same as "The Life and Prayers of Saint Francis of Assisi" and "Saint Therese of Lesieux". I would recommend this book to anyone. Thanks for another great book, all the books by Wyatt North are excellent. I will always remember "Pray, Hope and don't worry".

A short and succinct story of the life and times of Saint Padre Pio, a saint of and for our troubled times. At the same time a short prayer book containing Padre Pio’s own prayers as well as other prayers he recited. I do not know if I can or will ever be able to pray as he did, but then like Saint Paul, he was a chosen instrument of Christ to spread the faith for and he love to Christ in a modern era. Excellent introduction to this great saint. PRAY HOPE AND DON’T WORRY. I will make this my motto and goal of my spiritual life.

I downloaded this fast read onto my Kindle Fire, free from Amazon. I had heard about Saint Padre Pio so was interested in reading about him. This humble man lived during part of my lifetime. It is obvious the author did considerable research finding out minute details of Padre Pio's life.Padre Pio was an amazing man with a strong devotion to Jesus Christ. He had an early calling to the priesthood and pursued that calling. He was granted the stigmata at an early age. I was stunned to read how he prayed for the signs of the stigmata to go away but for the pain to remain. His prayers were granted! Only the pain remained! The visible signs did not return until much later in his life.In addition to details of Padre Pio's life, there are some of his meaningful prayers included in this book. I found it well worth my time to read about this holy man and the good he did on earth. What a beautiful example he set for others to follow.