What is the prayer to St. Padre Pio?

There are two. The first is "Stay with me, Lord," the prayer St. Padre Pio prayed to Jesus in thanksgiving after Holy Communion. The second is the Prayer for the Intercession of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, which asks God to grant a grace through Padre Pio's intercession.

What is the "Stay with me, Lord" prayer?

It is a prayer to Jesus, prayed by St. Padre Pio after receiving Holy Communion, begging Christ to remain present through weakness, darkness, and the hour of death. It begins, "Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You."

When should you pray the Padre Pio prayer after Communion?

Pray it in the silence after receiving Holy Communion, as a thanksgiving. It is meant to be prayed slowly, line by line, and it also suits an evening prayer or a holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament.

Who was St. Padre Pio?

St. Pio of Pietrelcina (1887–1968) was a Capuchin friar and priest who bore the stigmata — the visible wounds of Christ — for fifty years and spent long hours hearing confessions. Pope St. John Paul II canonized him in 2002; his feast is September 23.

Is praying to St. Padre Pio worship?

No. Catholics do not worship saints. The prayer asks St. Pio to intercede — to bring our petition before God — just as you might ask a friend to pray for you. God alone grants the grace; the saint prays with us and for us.

How do you ask for St. Padre Pio's intercession?

Pray the Prayer for the Intercession of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, naming your specific petition where the prayer leaves the space. Many pray it as a novena — nine days of prayer — bringing one intention to God through St. Pio.

The Prayer to St. Padre Pio

"Stay with me, Lord." The prayer Padre Pio prayed after every Mass — and a prayer for the intercession of the friar who bore the wounds of Christ.

Some saints comfort you. St. Padre Pio hands you a weapon. The Capuchin friar who bore the wounds of Christ in his own flesh for fifty years prayed one prayer above all in thanksgiving after Mass — "Stay with me, Lord" — not a plea for consolation, but for the abiding Presence of Jesus through weakness, darkness, and the hour of death. Here is that prayer in full, together with the Prayer for the Intercession of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, to carry your own petition to God through the friar who read souls in the confessional.

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The Prayers to St. Padre Pio

"Stay with me, Lord" — St. Padre Pio's prayer after Holy Communion

Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You. Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak, and I need Your strength, so that I may not fall so often. Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor. Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light, and without You, I am in darkness. Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will. Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You. Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your company. Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You. Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is, I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of love. Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late, and the day is coming to a close, and life passes; death, judgment, eternity approach. It is necessary to renew my strength, so that I will not stop along the way, and for that, I need You. It is getting late and death approaches. I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows. O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile. Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all its dangers, I need You. Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of bread, so that the Eucharistic Communion be the light which disperses the darkness, the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart. Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to You, if not by Communion, at least by grace and love. Stay with me, Jesus, I do not ask for divine consolation because I do not merit it, but the gift of Your Presence, oh yes, I ask this of You. Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for, Your love, Your grace, Your will, Your heart, Your Spirit, because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more. With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth, and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity. Amen.

Prayer for the Intercession of St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Dear God, You generously blessed Your servant, St. Pio of Pietrelcina, with the gifts of the Spirit. You marked his body with the five wounds of Christ Crucified, as a powerful witness to the saving Passion and Death of Your Son. Endowed with the gift of discernment, St. Pio labored endlessly in the confessional for the salvation of souls. With reverence and intense devotion in the celebration of Mass, he invited countless men and women to a greater union with Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Through the intercession of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, I confidently beseech You to grant me the grace of (here mention your request). Amen.

Who St. Padre Pio was

Born Francesco Forgione in 1887 in the Italian village of Pietrelcina, St. Pio of Pietrelcina — Padre Pio — was a Capuchin Franciscan friar and priest. On September 20, 1918, while praying before a crucifix, he received the stigmata, the visible wounds of Christ's Passion, which he bore in his hands, feet, and side for the next fifty years. He spent long hours daily in the confessional, and countless souls travelled to San Giovanni Rotondo to seek absolution and counsel from him. He died on September 23, 1968, and was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II on June 16, 2002. His feast is kept on September 23.

Where these prayers came from

The first prayer — "Stay with me, Lord" — is the prayer St. Padre Pio prayed in thanksgiving after Holy Communion. Its refrain echoes the disciples on the road to Emmaus, who begged the risen Christ, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening" (Luke 24:29). It is not a request for comfort but for the abiding Presence of Jesus through weakness, darkness, and the approach of death.

The second is the Prayer for the Intercession of St. Pio of Pietrelcina — a prayer addressed to God, asking Him, through the merits and intercession of Padre Pio, to grant a particular grace. It is prayed on his feast, as a novena, and whenever the faithful bring their needs to his powerful intercession.

How and when to pray them

Pray "Stay with me, Lord" in the silence after receiving Holy Communion, kneeling in thanksgiving as Padre Pio did. It is a slow, unhurried prayer, meant to be prayed line by line rather than rushed, and it also fits an evening examination or a holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament.

Pray the intercession prayer when you carry a specific petition — for a healing, a conversion, a burden that feels beyond you. Name your intention in the space the prayer leaves, and many close with three Glory Bes in thanksgiving for the graces God worked through St. Pio. Prayed nine days in a row, it becomes a novena.

Why it matters

Padre Pio was no gentle abstraction. He bore in his own flesh the wounds of the Cross, waged open war on the devil, and told the anxious, "Pray, hope, and don't worry." His prayers carry that same steel: a man does not beg Christ to stay because the fight is easy, but because it is real and he knows he cannot win it alone. That is the register of the Catholic man at war for his soul — the register Sanctum lives in: Altar. Arms. Allegiance.