Catholic Saints Podcast – St. Padre Pio
Host: Dr. Tim Gray
Guest: Dr. Sean Innerstadt
Date: September 23, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode explores the dramatic, inspiring life of St. Padre Pio, one of the 20th century’s most mystically gifted and beloved Catholic saints. Dr. Tim Gray and Dr. Sean Innerstadt, scripture scholars at the Augustine Institute, discuss how Padre Pio’s suffering, miracles, and humility made him an extraordinary channel of God’s grace amid troubled times. The conversation weaves together stories, humor, theological insights, and personal testimonies, inviting listeners to deepen their understanding of sainthood, suffering, and faith.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Historical Context and Significance

• Padre Pio’s era: Lived through two world wars and tumultuous societal shifts in Italy.
  • "He comes at a time during his lifetime... seems that God has forsaken the world... and yet in this time... there's an incredible outpouring of God’s grace in the life of Padre Pio." (B, 00:21)
• Not simply coincidental: His gifts and miracles are seen as God’s response to modern suffering—making him "a man of incredible mysticism and grace and miracles." (B, 00:46)

2. Mystical Phenomena and Personality

• Range of miracles: Padre Pio displayed most mystical gifts known to Christian mysticism, such as stigmata, prophecy, bilocation, and reading of souls.
  • "I sometimes refer to him as the Three Ring Circus of mystical phenomena... almost every gift that one can have, he had in spades." (C, 01:25)
• Balance of mysticism and reality: Despite these gifts, Padre Pio was grounded, practical, direct, and humorous.
  • "He very much was a figure with his feet on the ground—even though he experienced all these mystical phenomena." (C, 02:42)
  • Shared stories of his levity and humor in community life; e.g., the "return ticket" train joke (B & C, 03:42–04:51).

3. Suffering, Sacrifice, and the Stigmata

• Embracing suffering: A recurring theme is Pio’s radical self-offering as a 'victim for Christ,' echoing St. Paul’s theology of suffering.
  • "...his desire to give his life entirely to Christ as a victim, and that Christ takes him up on the offer." (C, 05:07)
  • "He shows that there is a power in suffering." (B, 06:37)
  • "He so conforms himself to Christ... he becomes a dramatic conduit of the graces which flow from the Paschal Mystery..." (C, 06:54)
• Extraordinary physical sufferings:
  • Suffered mysterious, fatal fevers; experiences described as "purgatory on earth" (C, 09:29).
  • Received the stigmata in 1918, physical wounds that mirrored those of Christ, which “never healed, never got infected.” (C, 13:01–13:21)
  • Unlike St. Francis, Pio received the stigmata in his prime, leading to decades of scrutiny and suffering.

4. Public Scrutiny & Humility

• Reluctant spectacle: Despite his reputation, Pio shunned the limelight and didn’t understand his own celebrity.
  • "God, in a certain sense, hides... the sanctity of the saints from them so that they don’t become puffed up." (C, 15:10)
  • "If they only knew..."—Padre Pio, upon seeing crowds waiting for him. (C, 16:21)

5. Miracles of Prophecy & Confessional Ministry

• Prophecy: Told people the fate of their loved ones, notably soldiers during WWII. (B, 16:27)
• Reading souls: In confessions, he frequently revealed hidden sins to penitents, catalyzing radical conversions.
  • "He would routinely tell people their sins. You forgot this… Sometimes he would scold them for a lack of contrition..." (C, 17:16)
• Notable Prophecy: Future Pope John Paul II
  • Padre Pio met a young Karol Wojtyła (later Pope John Paul II) and prophetically told him he would become pope.
    • "Padre Pio apparently gave him an intimation that he had a... bright ecclesiastical future." (C, 18:49)
    • "Padre Pio tells me, you will one day be pope." (B, 19:31)

6. Obedience and Persecution by Church Authorities

• Under suspicion: Was forbidden to publicly say Mass or hear confessions for two years due to skepticism and controversy.
  • "...persecuted by the Church—this is often the case in the Lives of the Saints..." (C, 21:09)
  • Always remained obedient and docile to Church direction.

7. Theology of Suffering for Today

• Practical advice on suffering:
  • "Somebody who is able, under the weight of suffering, to surrender themselves, to recognize in it a share in Christ’s own suffering... it becomes a new means by which we enter into closer relationship with God and a gift that we can offer for others." (C, 24:23)
• Penance and perseverance:
  • "Poverty, chastity, and obedience are the three nails that affix Christ to the cross... not for the sake of suffering itself, but for the fruitfulness that comes from the gift..." (C, 24:23)
  • Discussion that penance is not anti-human, but fruitful and transformative. (B, 26:36)

8. Personal Testimony: Dr. Innerstadt’s Conversion

• Dr. Innerstadt shares his journey from Quaker upbringing to Catholicism, crediting Padre Pio as instrumental in his conversion.
  • "I credit him with my conversion... I have always considered myself... a spiritual son of Padre Pio." (C, 27:06–29:34)

Memorable Quotes

On Mysticism and Suffering

• "Almost every gift that one can have, he had in spades, in spades. Yeah, dramatically and for a long period of time." (C, 01:29)
• "He made an offer of himself... especially after his ordination... his desire to give his life entirely to Christ as a victim..." (C, 05:07)
• "He so conforms himself to Christ... he becomes a dramatic conduit of the graces which flow from the paschal mystery." (C, 06:54)
• "Purgatory on earth. He was. Yes, he was experiencing purgatorial fire in his own flesh." (C, 09:29)

On Prophecy and Humility

• "If they only knew..." (Padre Pio about crowds seeking him; C, 16:21)
• "Padre Pio tells me, you will one day be pope." (B, 19:31)
• "He was dead honest to everyone. He didn’t sugarcoat anything. And this was characteristic of not just the prophecies. He just told you the bold truth." (C, 16:53)

On Suffering for Today

• "Somebody who is able, under the weight of suffering, to surrender themselves, to recognize in it a share in Christ’s own suffering... it becomes a new means by which we enter into closer relationship with God and a gift that we can offer for others." (C, 24:23)

On Conversion

• "I credit him with my conversion... I was captivated by these three crucified men. And it wasn’t hard to make me Catholic because I just drew a line between these three." (C, 27:06)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Padre Pio’s historical context & miracles – 00:21–02:14
• Humor and personality – 03:42–04:51
• Victimhood, suffering, and mystical gifts – 05:07–07:43
• World War service and mysterious fevers – 07:43–09:29
• The stigmata: physical and spiritual significance – 10:52–13:21
• Public scrutiny and Pio’s humility – 14:09–16:21
• Prophecy, confession, and conversions – 16:27–18:49
• Prediction of John Paul II’s papacy – 18:49–20:23
• Obedience to the Church amid persecution – 21:09–23:10
• Suffering’s meaning for today’s Catholics – 23:51–26:58
• Personal conversion story – 27:06–29:34
• Closing reflection on hope and grace – 29:34–30:24

Final Reflections

The episode concludes with a powerful reflection on how God acts most profoundly in times of darkness. As illustrated by Padre Pio’s life, when the world seems abandoned, God is present, offering grace and transformation amid suffering. Modern Catholics are encouraged to embrace their own struggles, offering them to God as Padre Pio did—a lesson as timely today as it was in his own era.

“Even in our own times, we can think that God has forsaken us... God’s still very much present. We just have to call upon him, especially to offer up our suffering in bringing God’s grace to the world.” (B, 29:34)

May Padre Pio pray for us.