Padre Pio and You: An Epic Story of Spiritual Fatherhood

Hillary Ibarra, intrigued by Padre Pio while knowing little of him, gratefully reviews Mary O’Regan’s wonderful book about his life. 

Padre Pio and You: An Epic Story of Spiritual Fatherhood

By Mary O'Regan
Published by Sophia Institute Press

Padre Pio and You: An Epic Story of Spiritual Fatherhood by Mary O’Regan, published by Sophia Institute Press, invites you on a journey with Padre Pio toward holiness. O’Regan’s great fondness and appreciation for Pio draws you easily into his story. Through it we can gain a better understanding of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and of our vital relationship with the Eucharist. In Padre Pio and You, we witness the great power of sacrificial love, something easily admired and difficult to emulate. 

As it explores Padre Pio’s history from farm boy to Capuchin friar, Padre Pio and You presents a wonderful blend of the intimate history of Padre Pio’s family, the stories of those with radically changed lives because of Padre Pio, and the history of the Church and the world during Padre Pio’s lifetime. Pio, persecuted routinely by the devil, enemies, and even those in the Church, suffered the dark night of the soul and many tragedies, yet he prevailed in hope and love through the grace of God, bearing the stigmata and bilocating at crucial moments. Though he is known as Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, most of his life was spent at the Capuchin friary in San Giovanni Rotondo, and the love the local people felt for Padre Pio led to standoffs when they believed Church authorities were trying to remove Padre Pio from their community.  

Stories of Conversion

I love conversion stories, and conversion is a huge theme in Padre Pio and You. It brims with conversions wrought by God through Padre Pio’s ministry of reading and counseling souls. O’Regan’s own conversion story is extraordinary, and her zeal in presenting Pio’s story sprang from her relationship with him. In these pages, she chronicles the multiple people who sought Padre Pio during his lifetime more out of curiosity than with clear intentions to change their lives and shows how their encounters with him forever transformed their lives and vocations. Some of the converted were committed atheists; some were Catholics who were living in opposition to Christ’s teaching; some waged war against Pio and his ministry. All of them experienced miraculous change. 

A particularly charming section of O’Regan’s book tells the stories of American servicemen during World War II who benefitted greatly from Padre Pio’s spiritual fatherhood during wartime and spread his ministry after their homecoming. Some of them were drawn to discover who Padre Pio was by inconceivable encounters with him while flying war planes over Italy. Their love is partly responsible for Padre Pio’s popularity in the United States today. 

I confess that I struggled with some of Padre Pio’s fascinating visions related in this book, but I felt encouraged that great spiritual directors helped Padre Pio navigate the most heartbreaking, painful, and mysterious spiritual territory. O’Regan shares excerpts from Padre Pio’s letters to and from his spiritual directors, and they overflow with vulnerability, wisdom, and care. (This book presents a strong case to seek a spiritual director and to pray for the right one.) 

Padre Pio celebrated daily Mass despite his deep suffering, offering great encouragement to us to be with the Lord amid struggles. Quotes from Padre Pio provide great consolation in these struggles, too. Whatever you face now, Padre Pio’s reflections about Christian life included in this book can help.  

Encounter Padre Pio and Renew Your Passion to Follow Jesus

Padre Pio and You provides a wonderful education for anyone who already loves Padre Pio and wants to know more and encourages those who know him little or not at all to approach this saintly Capuchin’s story to gain deeper faith in the Sacraments and God’s inexhaustible love and mercy for us. Just as so many during his lifetime encountered Padre Pio and felt a new or renewed passion to follow Jesus, this book is an opportunity for us to encounter Pio and, like him, seek Christ’s will with all our hearts. 

Jesus asks something unique and challenging of all of us, but as Padre Pio and You: An Epic Story of Spiritual Fatherhood by Mary O’Regan demonstrates so well, the point is to follow Christ with complete trust through every circumstance. It helps to have true friends on our faith journey, and this book invites us to ask if Padre Pio is that friend we need. Padre Pio’s life was not comfortable, but it was Christ-like in its sacrifice, and when our lives are united to Christ on the Cross, miracles occur. May we strive for sacrificial love throughout our lives as Padre Pio did!  

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Copyright 2025 Hillary Ibarra
Images: (top) detail from cover