Padre Pio. C. Bernard Ruffin
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for water; and, on the wall, a wooden cross. This first stage of religious life, known as the novitiate, has been compared to “boot camp” in the life of a soldier. Like other novices, Francesco was directed to spend several days in solitary meditation.
On January 22, 1903, sixteen days after his arrival, Francesco was “invested” as a religious, kneeling at the foot of the altar before the master of novices, the formidable Padre Tommaso of Monte Sant’Angelo (1872–1932). His outer clothing was removed as the master declared, “May the Lord strip from you the old man and all his actions.” As Francesco put on his Franciscan tunic, Padre Tommaso prayed, “May the Lord reclothe you in the new man who is created according to God, in justice, holiness, and truth.” As he put on the hood with its caperon, or small scapular, the novice master said, “May the Lord put the hood of salvation upon your head to defeat the wiles of the devil.” And when Francesco wrapped the cord around his waist, the novice master prayed, “May the Lord gird you with the cordon of purity and extinguish within your loins the fire of lust so that the virtues of continence and chastity might abide in you.” Then the master gave the novice a candle, enjoining him, “Take the light of Christ as a sign of your immortality so that, dead to the world, you might live in God. Rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light!”6
The crown of Francesco’s head was shaved, as well as the bottom of his hairline, leaving a circlet of hair around the skull. This was the “tonsure,” worn by most religious in many parts of Europe until the early 1970s, although photographs show that religious frequently allowed their hair to grow out for long periods of time. The custom supposedly dated from Roman times, when the heads of slaves were routinely shaved. Religious wore the tonsure in token of the fact that they were slaves of Christ.
Francesco received a religious name, apparently completely the choice of the superiors. From now on Francesco would be Fra (or Brother) Pio. Many believe that he was named in honor of the father provincial, Pio of Benevento.
By the end of Padre Pio’s life, most Capuchins were known by their family names. Father Solanus Casey, an American Capuchin, renowned as a mystic and servant of the poor (who was beatified in 2017), was nearly two decades Pio’s senior, but was always known by his family name, as Capuchins typically were in the United States. So was the famous Irish Capuchin and temperance advocate Father Theobald Mathew, who died in 1856. In Italy, however, well into the twentieth century, Capuchins were known by their place of birth rather than their surname. And so, Francesco Forgione became Pio of Pietrelcina for everyone — except the Italian government, which did not recognize religious names. When he had to sign a legal document, he wrote, “Padre Pio da Pietrelcina, al secolo Francesco Forgione.” When he was drafted into the army during World War I, Padre Pio came close to being arrested for desertion when he was home in Pietrelcina on sick leave and orders came for “Francesco Forgione” to report for duty. By that time, everybody knew him as Padre Pio and the message did not get to him.
Since the sixteenth century, the friary at Morcone was the place where Padre Pio’s province of Foggia trained its novices. The friary there in 1903 was the home of about fifty religious. It had no central heating, but on the coldest winter nights, after Compline, the religious could gather before the fireplace to warm themselves before returning to their freezing rooms.
The Capuchin Constitutions specified that the senior members of the community, with the exception of the father guardian (the local superior) and the novice master, were to avoid unnecessary communication with the novices. While the other friars wore sandals, novices were required to go barefoot. Every night, except on Sundays, a bell awakened the friars a half hour after midnight. The sleepy men made their way through the corridors of the convent to the chapel, there to prepare for the Divine Office — the prayers and psalms, offered seven times daily, that characterized the life of nearly all religious communities at that time. In “devotion, recollection, mortification, quiet, and silence,” as the Constitutions specified, they strove to “remember that they [were] in the presence of God and employ themselves in the angelic exercise of singing the divine praises.” After praying the first two hours of the Office, Matins and Lauds, the friars went back to bed.
This repose did not last long, for they had to rise again at 5:00 a.m. Each made his bed and placed a crucifix on it to make it look like a coffin. Then they went to the choir to pray the Angelus, a prayer which begins with the words, “The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary … ” commemorating the Incarnation of Christ. This was followed by the Litany of the Saints. Then the community meditated for half an hour, spending time in mental prayer for the pope, the salvation of souls, the conversion of unbelievers, and the impartation of wisdom to cardinals, bishops, prelates, kings, princes, and superiors. Then followed the Mass known as the Orazione, after which the friars prayed the canonical hours of Prime and Terce. This was followed by the community Mass known as the Messa Conventuale. At last it was time for the friars to be rewarded with a breakfast of boiled bread and oil, after which they went back to the choir to pray the Divine Office of Our Lady.
Then the novices went to confer with Padre Tommaso of Monte Sant’Angelo, the novice master. According to the Constitutions, the master of novices was to teach his charges to subdue their passions and acquire such virtues as humility, obedience, “angelic purity,” self-denial, sacrifice, love of poverty, and the spirit of mortification. He was to instruct them in the Capuchin Rule and the Breviary, which is the book that contains the Divine Office. He instructed them on the lives of the saints, especially those of the Capuchin order, and he supervised their memorization of the Rule. After their time with the master, it was time for the novices to study until they returned to the choir to recite the canonical hours of Sext and None.
At noon, the community, still in the choir, prayed the Angelus again before going to dinner. Both dinner and supper were frugal meals consisting chiefly of bread and stew. The novices frequently suffered from terrible hunger pangs during their first weeks in the community. During most meals, talking was forbidden. While the friars ate, a lesson from the Gospels was read, followed by the reading of the Rule of Saint Francis and then by another from some “pious book.”
From November 2 (All Souls’ Day) to Holy Saturday, except for the Christmas season, the friars fasted — that is, they were allowed one full meal (such as it was) daily, and two smaller ones that together were not to add up to a full meal. No meat was served apart from the main meal. In lax provinces, the friars made their full meal a huge feast of many courses; but in the province of Sant’Angelo in the early twentieth century, traditions were observed in all their ancient rigor. During weekdays in Lent, no meat was served at all, and on Lenten Fridays the friars were obliged to subsist on bread and water only. This was in accord with the teaching of Saint Francis that “it is difficult to satisfy necessity without yielding to sensuality.” Everything was calculated to draw the religious away from an attachment to earthly things — even necessities — and focus his mind on the things of the spirit.
After the midday meal, the community took a brief siesta. At 2:30 p.m. they recited Vespers in the choir and then spent some time doing chores, including manual labor. Even while scrubbing the latrine in the basement, the friars were to recite the Rosary aloud or sing hymns. When chores were over, the community recited the Vespers of Our Lady, after which the novices had another conference with Padre Tommaso. Then they were allowed to take “recreation” in the garden, which meant that they were somewhat free to converse about spiritual things. At 7:00 p.m. they prayed the Rosary in the choir. Then there was another half hour of meditation, more prayers, and Compline, the final canonical “hour” of the Divine Office. After Compline came supper, during which there were readings from the Old and New Testaments. Following the meal, while the rest of the community enjoyed a brief period of recreation, the novices met once more with Padre Tommaso for spiritual counsel. Finally, at 9:00 p.m., after a thirty-minute visit to the Blessed Sacrament in the church, the friars retired for the night. Before going to bed, each friar was expected to pray and examine his conscience. Novices were instructed to sleep on their back in their habit with their arms folded over their chest, in the form of a cross, the better to repel any assaults of the devil.
Throughout the day, the “Evangelical Silence” prevailed, which meant that even during periods of “recreation,” which consisted of two periods of one hour in the course of the