Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest

Saint Linus was born in Italy, traditionally at Volterra in Tuscany, and lived in the first generation of the Church. Ancient Christian testimony remembers him as the one to whom the Apostles entrusted the care of the Roman community after Saints Peter and Paul had founded and strengthened it. He is generally regarded as the second Bishop of Rome, succeeding Saint Peter, and his name is reverently included in the Roman Canon of the Mass. Linus also appears in Scripture: near the end of Saint Paul’s life, a Linus is named among those with him in Rome, and early writers identified this companion of the Apostle with the future shepherd of the Roman Church. Serving amid uncertainty and fragile beginnings, Linus helped preserve apostolic faith and unity in the heart of the Empire, guiding believers who were learning how to live the Gospel together. He is venerated as a saint and is honored as patron of Espeja, Lurano, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Volterra. His feast day is celebrated on September 23.

Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, born Francesco Forgione on May 25, 1887, in the small farming town of Pietrelcina in southern Italy, grew up in a deeply prayerful family and felt called to belong wholly to God from an early age. At fifteen he entered the Capuchin friars, taking the name Fra Pio, and after years marked by fragile health and intense prayer he was ordained a priest in 1910. In 1916 he was sent to the Capuchin friary of Our Lady of Grace in San Giovanni Rotondo, where he would spend nearly all his remaining years. There Padre Pio became a tireless confessor and spiritual father, drawing countless souls back to God through repentance, counsel, and a simple trust summed up in his words: “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.” He was widely known as a mystic and stigmatist, enduring Christ-like wounds and other extraordinary phenomena, even amid periods of scrutiny and restriction. His charity also took concrete form in the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, a hospital for the suffering. He is patron of Fondaco Motta. His feast day is September 23.

Saint Sossius (also called Sosius) was born around 275 and served as a deacon at Misenum, the great Roman naval base on the Bay of Naples. In the days of the Diocletian persecutions, he supported the hidden ministry of Saint Januarius, bishop of Benevento, and remained steadfast in proclaiming the Gospel. Tradition recounts that Januarius foresaw Sossius’ coming witness when, as Sossius read at Mass, a radiant light and a dove appeared over him. Soon denounced as a Christian, Sossius was arrested and sent to the prison of the sulfur mines near Pozzuoli. Januarius, together with the deacon Festus and the lector Desiderius, courageously visited him and were seized as well. Condemned first to the beasts, they were unharmed, and all were then sentenced to death. Sossius was beheaded near the Solfatara on September 19, 305, sharing martyrdom with his companions. Venerated especially in Campania, he is patron of Falvaterra, Frattamaggiore, Miseno, and San Sossio Baronia. His feast day is September 23.