“Jesus, Mary”: The Final Words and Last Day of St. Padre Pio

St. Padre Pio died at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 23, 1968, at the Capuchin monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. The 81-year-old Capuchin friar passed away in his cell after a final day of prayer and religious services.

On Sept. 22, 1968, Padre Pio celebrated a public Mass for thousands of people gathered for the 50th anniversary of his stigmata and his prayer groups. He appeared frail during the liturgy and needed help from other friars, eventually collapsing at the altar where Brother Bill Martin, an American Capuchin, supported him. Later that evening, Padre Pio gave a final blessing to the faithful before returning to his cell.

During his final hours in the early morning of Sept. 23, Padre Pio called for his superior, made his last confession, and renewed his vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. After receiving the last sacraments, he held his rosary and reportedly spoke the names of Jesus and Mary. Witnesses stated that the visible marks of his stigmata faded and disappeared around the time of his death, and doctors who examined his body found no scars where the wounds had previously been.