Ready to share the story of St. Padre Pio with kids?
Whether you’re a homeschool parent, a school parent, a catechist, or a Catholic school teacher, you can use this plan to give a quick and memorable lesson to your students about this amazing saint of the 20th century.
You have a lot of other stuff to get through today, so we’ll keep this one short and to the point. And we know kids love to be silly, so keeping things quick will keep it all from going off the rails. Although if you want to add on even more, check out this awesome resource page from Catholic Icing.
Before you begin, you’ll want to assemble some coloring supplies, print a free coloring page of Padre Pio (here and here), and decide whether you want to watch a video about Padre Pio or read aloud his biography (or both!). You also might want to get a candle and matches for the prayer time.
1
Share a biography of the saint
Here’s a script to get you started: “Today is the feast day of a very special saint who lived not long ago. He actually was alive at the same time as Grandma and Grandpa: Can you believe that?! He was a very holy person who loved Jesus a lot, and his name was Padre Pio.”
Next you’ll either read his story aloud or share it in a video. I often use videos to share saint stories as my kids think these are exciting and fun, but if you’re pressed for time, reading it aloud will be quicker.
Below is a short biography you could read, and here is a longer biography with more details:
God blessed Padre Pio’s life with many miracles. When he was a young boy, he actually could see guardian angels. He became a priest when he grew up, and one day while he was hearing confessions, another miracle happened. The wounds of Jesus appeared on his hands and feet, a special thing called the stigmata. He loved to spend a lot of time talking to God and he was very close to Jesus and Mama Mary all his life. He opened a special building to help sick people, and lots of people came to him for advice because he was so wise and kind. Throughout his life, he brought many people closer to God. He would tell them, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry!”
And here are two video options to explain Padre Pio’s life to young kids, if you decide to go the “press and play” route.
Here is the Saints For Kids video of St. Padre Pio:
Here is the My Catholic Family video for kids about St. Padre Pio:
2
Draw and talk about Padre Pio
After reading about St. Padre Pio, you can pass out a hands-on activity to help the kids think more about his life.
You can find a free printable coloring page of Padre Pio (again, those are here and here).
Or you might invite the kids to draw their own picture of Padre Pio after showing them an image of him (like this colorful one).
While they draw or color, open up the conversation to go deeper in learning about Padre Pio. You might ask the following questions:
- What did you hear?
- What are some ways Padre Pio acted like Jesus?
- How can we learn to be like Jesus from Padre Pio?
- Do you have any questions about Padre Pio?
3
End with a time of prayer together
Finally, close with prayer. You might light a candle at this point to set aside this prayer time as something special and sacred. Together, you can pray this prayer from Padre Pio:
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.
Finally, ask the kids if they want to share their own prayer or song to Jesus before your time of prayer ends.
St. Padre Pio, pray for us!
And today we celebrate...