The Stigmata for the First Time

After his ordination to the priesthood on August 10, 1910, Padre Pio remained in Pietrelcina. Just a month later, something extraordinary occurred. While he was praying and meditating in the countryside under the shade of an elm tree, he felt an intense burning sensation in the palms of his hands.

This marked the very first manifestation of the stigmata. It was only a year later that he mustered the courage to inform his superiors, confessing that these signs had caused him profound confusion. He prayed fervently to the Lord to make them disappear, and his prayer was answered.

The stigmata became invisible but continued to cause him great suffering from that moment onward, particularly on Fridays and during Holy Week.