Life in His Hometown

Padre Pio’s health remained poor, and repeated attempts to live in community within various monasteries inevitably failed.

To recover, he often had to return to Pietrelcina for extended periods.

In time, he settled there permanently, dividing his days between the village, where he stayed at his brother Michele’s home, and the countryside, where his cousin and friend, Mercurio Scocca, offered him a comfortable room in the farmhouse adjoining the family property. During this period, Padre Pio assisted the parish priest, Don Salvatore Pannullo, with his ministry at Pietrelcina’s only church, effectively serving as a deputy parish priest.

He administered many baptisms, and his profound devotion in carrying out his duties left a deep impression on those around him.

Mass was a central part of his day, often celebrated in near-complete solitude. At times, the sacristan assisting him would leave briefly to take care of errands, only to return and find Padre Pio still at the altar.

On one occasion, the sacristan found him lying on the ground as though lifeless and ran, alarmed, to inform Don Salvatore. The priest, however, remained calm. He knew the depths of Padre Pio’s spiritual life and understood that these moments were states of divine ecstasy.