Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina is one of the most loved saints of modern times — the Capuchin friar who bore the wounds of Christ, the stigmata, for fifty years and spent long hours each day in the confessional. He promised to remain a faithful intercessor for all who turned to him. This novena unites your intentions to the very prayer Padre Pio recited every day for those who asked for his prayers.
The Novena Prayer – Padre Pio’s Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart
Pray this prayer once daily for nine consecutive days, in union with Padre Pio:
I. O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.” Behold, I knock, I seek, and I ask for the grace of… (mention your intention).
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be… Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
II. O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, He will give it to you.” Behold, in your name I ask the Father for the grace of… (mention your intention).
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be… Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
III. O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Encouraged by your infallible words, I now ask for the grace of… (mention your intention).
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be… Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours. (Say the Hail, Holy Queen, and add:) Saint Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.
Closing Prayer – Prayer to Saint Pio
O God, you gave Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, Capuchin priest, the great privilege of participating in a unique way in the Passion of your Son. Grant me, through his intercession, the grace of… (mention your intention), which I ardently desire; and above all grant me the grace of living in conformity with the death of Jesus, to arrive at the glory of the resurrection. Glory be to the Father… (three times).
When to Pray This Novena
The novena is traditionally prayed from September 14 to 22, ending on the eve of Padre Pio’s feast day, September 23 — but you may begin it on any nine consecutive days, especially in times of urgent need.
About Saint Padre Pio
Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione in Pietrelcina, in southern Italy, in 1887. He joined the Capuchin Franciscans and was ordained a priest in 1910. In 1918, while praying before a crucifix at the friary of San Giovanni Rotondo, he received the visible stigmata — the wounds of Christ — which remained with him for the rest of his life.
Renowned as a confessor and spiritual father, he counseled countless souls and founded the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (“Home for the Relief of Suffering”), a hospital that still serves the sick today. He died on September 23, 1968. Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1999 and canonized him in 2002. His feast day is September 23. Among his best-loved counsels are the words, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.”
Related Prayers and Devotions
Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Daily Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Memorare
Sources: The Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart and the Prayer to Saint Pio follow the texts published by the National Centre for Padre Pio. Biographical details from the same source and the Vatican’s canonization records.