This September 17, the 800th anniversary of the stigmata of Saint Francis of Assisi, the first saint, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia (EC), of which there is a record with stigmatization. Therefore, we share with you some impressive data about 8 saints who received this wonderful and painful gift.
1. Saint Francis of Assisi
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Every September 17 the Franciscan family commemorates the festival of the stigmata of Saint Francis what they appeared in the saint in 1224. The EC points out that when the saint received these gifts he was accompanied by a brother named León, who told what happened.
“It describes the saint’s right side as showing an open wound that looked as if it had been made by a spear, while his hands and feet were pierced by black nails of flesh whose tips were bent backwards. After receiving the stigmata, Francisco suffered increasing pain throughout his fragile body,” indicates the EC.
2. Santa Lutgarda
A few years later, in Belgium, Christ granted another type of stigmata to a Cistercian saint named Lutgarda. According to the Cistercian Monastery of San Clementein Seville (Spain), in 1235 she became blind after praying to live more deeply the passion of the Lord.
One day, Saint Lutgard, praying to her favorite saint Saint Agnes, felt that a vein in her heart burst and blood spilled outward through an open wound in her side. On other occasions, she would sweat drops of blood when thinking about the Passion of Christ.
3. Santa Catalina de Siena
The EC describes that there are two types of stigmata, visible and invisible, in which “suffering is suffered, without showing any external sign.”
The latter happened to Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), Dominican laywoman and great Doctor of the Church. She “started out having visible stigmata but, out of humility, she prayed that they would be changed to invisible ones. “Her prayer was heard,” states at EC.
4. Saint Rita of Casia
The EC points out that Saint Rita of Casia (1381-1457) had on her forehead “a wound caused by a thorn torn from the crown of the Crucified” and that the smell that came from there was unbearable. Besides, indica that this is an exception because the wounds of the stigmatized “do not emit foul odors.”
The website of lives of saints corazones.org It highlights that the Augustinian nun remained distant from people and that when she died the stigma disappeared, leaving in its place “a red spot like a ruby, which had a delicious fragrance.”
5. Santa Catalina de Ricci
In 1542 the Dominican Saint Catherine de Ricci had a mystical marriage with Christ on Easter. According to the Dominican Fray Paulino Alvarezlater Christ granted her the stigmata, but the one with the spear on her side appeared on her left side “over her heart” and was so painful that she felt like she was going to die.
The priest says that those who saw the stigmata of the saint affirmed that “the ones on her hands were red, they had a raised edge and that in the middle you could see a black, round thing, like the head of a nail; and those on the feet had sunken and uneven flesh, in one lower part and in another upper part, and that threads of blood could be seen between the flesh and the skin, and a very mild odor came from them.”
6. San Carlos de Sezze
The EC It is noted that, throughout this time, another holy man who received stigmata was Saint Charles of Sezze. The book collection Christian Year from the Library of Catholic Authors (BAC) points out that this Franciscan holds the title of “Seraphim of the Eucharist.”
The book describes that one day the saint entered the Church of San José, which is located near the current Plaza de España in Rome, and participated in the Holy Mass. When the moment of elevation arrived, “a luminous ray left the Sacred Host, wounding the Saint’s side until it penetrated his heart.”
Later, he specifies that the mark of the cross was impressed on his heart, which remains uncorrupted.
7. Saint Verónica Giuliani
The Capuchin Poor Clare Saint Veronica Giuliani (1660-1727) is another of the impressive mystics in the history of the Church. The Italian website of lives of saints Saints and Blesseds indicates that in 1694 the saint “received the impression of thorns on her head.”
Before dying, she said that images of some elements of the Passion of Christ had appeared in his heart. When the autopsy was performed, several witnessed the extraordinary miracle.
8. Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
According to the writer Francesco Castelli, in the book titled Padre Pio under interrogation: The secret autobiographythe saint received the stigmata on September 20, 1918, after celebrating the Eucharist. In this way he became the first stigmatized priest. All of the above were lay and consecrated.
“I was filled with compassion for the Lord’s pains and asked him what I could do. I heard this voice: ‘I associate you with my Passion’. And immediately, with the vision gone, I came to my senses, and I saw these signs from which blood came out. I didn’t have them before,” said Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, according to Castelli.
To conclude, it is necessary to highlight that there is a long list of saints and blesseds who received the stigmata. Furthermore, it is important to highlight that this door of grace, granted mostly to women, was opened in the Catholic Church with the extraordinary Saint Francis of Assisi.
Abel Camasca
Journalist graduated from the Communication Sciences degree at the University of Lima. He has been part of the ACI Prensa journalistic team since 2014. Between 2016 and 2022 he was in charge of the production of the television program EWTN Noticias and Más que Noticias, a World Catholic Radio program. He often writes articles about the lives of saints.