St. Pio of Pietrelcina, known everywhere as Padre Pio, was a Capuchin friar and priest in southern Italy famous for long hours in the confessional, deep prayer and the wounds of Christ that he bore for fifty years. Millions ask his prayers, especially for healing.
Below is his prayer after Communion, “Stay with me, Lord,” a prayer to him for healing, the Sacred Heart novena he prayed every day for others, and his story.
Prayers to St. Padre Pio
Stay with me, Lord (Padre Pio’s prayer after Communion, shortened)
Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You. Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often. Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You I am without fervour. Stay with me, Lord, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close, and life passes. Stay with me tonight, Jesus. Amen.
A prayer to St. Padre Pio for healing
St. Padre Pio, you carried the wounds of Christ and spent your life praying for the sick and the suffering. Pray now for (name). Ask Jesus to heal them in body and soul if it is His will, to give their doctors wisdom, and to give all of us trust and peace. Amen.
Short Prayers
- St. Pio, pray for us.
- Pray, hope, and do not worry. (a saying of Padre Pio)
- St. Padre Pio, pray for (name) today.
Novena to St. Padre Pio
Padre Pio prayed the Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus every day for everyone who asked his prayers. It repeats three petitions based on Jesus’s promises (“Ask and it will be given to you”; “Whatever you ask the Father in my name”; “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away”), each followed by an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be, and ends with the Hail, Holy Queen. You can pray it for nine days, or daily as he did.
His feast day is 23 September.
Who Was St. Padre Pio?
Francesco Forgione was born in Pietrelcina, Italy, in 1887, joined the Capuchins and took the name Pio. From 1916 he lived at San Giovanni Rotondo, where in 1918 he received the stigmata. For the rest of his life he heard confessions for many hours a day and founded a large hospital, the House for the Relief of Suffering.
He died on 23 September 1968. Pope John Paul II, who had met him as a young priest, canonised him in 2002.
Scripture
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7 (NIV)
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
Questions People Ask
What is the Padre Pio prayer for healing?
Many people ask his intercession in their own words, as in the prayer above, or pray the Sacred Heart novena he prayed daily.
What did Padre Pio say about worry?
“Pray, hope, and do not worry” is his best known saying.
When is Padre Pio’s feast day?
23 September.
Can I send a prayer to St. Padre Pio through Holy Land Prayer?
We do not send prayers to a shrine of St. Padre Pio. His shrine is at San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. What we do is carry prayers to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem: you can write a prayer asking for this saint’s intercession in the form at the top of this page, and we will place it inside one of the chapels, where a priest prays it in English.
Who Writes These Prayers
The Holy Land Prayer team writes the prayers on this page. Traditional prayers are given in the form used in Catholic devotion. Scripture is quoted from the New International Version.
Last reviewed 28 September 2026 by the Holy Land Prayer team.
Pray Where the Passion Is Remembered
Padre Pio spent his life close to the Passion of Christ, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is where Christians remember it, with Calvary and the tomb under one roof. If you would like a prayer of your own taken there, write it in the form at the top of this page. It is printed and placed in one of the chapels, a priest prays it in English, and a candle is lit on your behalf. You receive photographs of the prayer and the candle by email. See how it works.
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