“With Christ I am nailed to the cross. And I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:19-20).
The Stigmata, What Is It?
The “stigmata” – a word derived from the Greek, meaning “a mark, tattoo or brand such as might have been used for identification of an animal or slave.” For Catholics, the word “stigmata” denotes the five holy marks of Christ’s crucifixion, a person manifests on his hands, feet and side.[1]
The Apostle Saint Paul may be the first to record his own stigmata when he wrote, in his letter to the Corinthians:
“And lest the greatness of the revelations should exalt me, there was given me a sting of my flesh, an angel of Satan, to buffet me. For which thing thrice I besought the Lord, that it might depart from me. And He said to me: My grace is sufficient for thee; for power is made perfect in infirmity. Gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. For which cause I please myself in my infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ. For when I am weak, then am I powerful.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
And again, in his letter to the Church in Galatia, St. Paul wrote: “From henceforth let no man be troublesome to me; for I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus in my body.” (Galatians 6:17)
St. Francis of Assisi
Twelve hundred years after Saint Paul lived, we find the first clearly recorded instance of the appearance of the marks of Christ on a devoted Christian.
During a forty-day bread and water fast, while St. Francis was engaged in solitary prayer and contemplation with several of his monastic companions on Monte La Verna in Tuscany, Italy, about 150 miles northwest of Rome, the miracle occurred. Francis knelt constantly, day and night, in prayer, meditating deeply on Christ’s suffering on the cross. It was during this time of solitude that St. Francis was afflicted with the five marks of Christ, which would be observable on his hands, feet, and side for the remainder of his life.
His friend and fellow monk, Brother Leo, left a clear account of how this happened: “Suddenly he [Francis] saw a vision of a seraph, a six-winged angel on a cross. This angel gave him the gift of the five wounds of Christ.” Saint Francis suffered the agony of these five weeping, open wounds for the remainder of his life. Throughout these two years, Francis never complained about his suffering. Indeed, he celebrated having the wounds as a privilege.
Singing softly with Brother Leo in the same rude hut in which he first sought God’s mercy, Francis died on October 3, 1226. Francis was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on July 16, 1228, only two years after his death. Saint Francis was never ordained as a priest, though he was a deacon. In his great humility, Francis did not deem himself worthy of the priesthood.
The Universal Calendar of the Catholic Church keeps September 17th as the Commemoration of St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata, indicating how important this event is in the life of the Church.
St. Gemma Galgani
St. Gemma Galgani (1878-1903), a devout Italian and frail young woman, endured an extraordinary life of suffering and spiritual grace. After falling gravely ill at the age of 18, she experienced partial paralysis, hearing loss, boils, and extreme scoliosis. Despite the lack of medical explanation or effective treatments, Gemma’s faith remained steadfast. Her deep spirituality included visions and conversations with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Jesus, her guardian angel, and her patron, Saint Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother.
Her reception of the stigmata, however, was the most remarkable event in her spiritual life. On June 8, 1899, Gemma reported to her confessor that she began to feel intense pain in her hands, feet, and side – precisely where Christ was wounded. These stigmata appeared every Thursday, lasting until Friday or Saturday morning. Gemma hid the wounds with gloves and sought to avoid attention, but word quickly spread, and many sought her out, hoping to witness her miraculous suffering.
Despite the Church’s cautious approach to verifying miracles, Gemma remained humble and petitioned for the stigmata to cease when requested by her confessor. The wounds vanished, leaving only faint white marks. In her remaining three years, she lived in seclusion, enduring further illness before passing away on Holy Saturday, 1903, her life a testament to unwavering faith amidst suffering.
St. Padre Pio
Francesco Forgione, later known as St. Padre Pio, was born in 1887 in Pietrelcina, Italy, and from an early age, exhibited a deep spirituality much like that of St. Gemma. From childhood, he experienced visions of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and his guardian angel, though his family initially dismissed them as fever-induced dreams. At just 15, he joined the Capuchin friars and was ordained a priest by 23, taking the name “Pio” in honor of Pope Pius I.
Shortly after his ordination, Padre Pio began experiencing the stigmata. Initially, the wounds were invisible, but by 1918, after a profound spiritual experience, the visible marks of Christ’s crucifixion appeared on his hands, feet, and side. Unlike Gemma, whose stigmata eventually ceased, Padre Pio bore these wounds for the rest of his life. He referred to them as his “gift from God,” despite the pain and the constant bleeding, which became a source of widespread attention.
As news of his stigmata spread, pilgrims from across Italy and beyond flocked to San Giovanni Rotondo, seeking confessions and blessings. Despite his fame, Padre Pio remained deeply humble, focusing on prayer, confession, and Mass, all while enduring both physical and spiritual battles. His stigmata completely healed only after his death in 1968, leaving a legacy of faith and miraculous suffering. He is remembered for countless miracles worked both during and after his life on earth.
Conclusion
The stigmata is a great gift received only by a select few, including St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine of Genoa, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Padre Pio. The Catholic Church has no official position on the stigmata, but it certainly is a great gift indeed going back to Sacred Scripture: “With Christ I am nailed to the cross. And I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:19-20).
In one story, illustrating the great suffering Our Lord bore for us, a man came one day to St. Padre Pio and asked if he could take some of the pain from the stigmata, which afflicted him with pain and bleeding without end. So that night when the man went home, he had an excruciating migraine, which felt like nails being driven in his hand. Finally, the next time he saw St. Padre Pio, St. Pio said to him, along these lines, “I told you it would be too much.”
We should not pray to receive the stigmata. But we should pray for the grace to withstand all the trials Our Lord sends us. May we offer them all up for His glory and the good of souls.
ENDNOTE:
[1] It may help to note that one does not need all five wounds to have the stigmata, but just one or some of the wounds of the Crucified Christ. Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich had only some of the stigmata, as well as St. Agnes Sasagawa. The stigmata also include the head wounds from the crown of thorns and the scourge marks. Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque had the wounds produced by the crown of thorns, and St. Catherine de Ricci’s arms and legs were covered with wounds as would be produced by whips and cords.