# The 40 Days St. Francis and Padre Pio Both Took Seriously

An episode of [AfterMass](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1823710125), 13 Aug 2026, 11 min.

Audio: https://anchor.fm/s/1069762b8/podcast/play/124190464/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-7-13%2F429800928-44100-2-3043a057d436f.mp3

St. Francis fasted 40 days every year and it left wounds that never healed. Padre Pio kept the same devotion for the same reason. It's called St. Michael's Lent. It starts this Saturday, August 15th and almost no Catholic outside Franciscan circles has heard of it. In this episode I cover the apparitions at Monte Gargano that started it all. The pope who added a prayer to every Mass after a vision that shook him. And why both saints saw St. Michael as a direct ally in spiritual battle. What you'll learn: The real story behind St. Francis's stigmata Why Padre Pio kept the same devotion to St. Michael The origin of the St. Michael Prayer How to observe St. Michael's Lent starting August 15th #CatholicTikTok #SaintMichael #StFrancis #PadrePio #CatholicFaith #SpiritualWarfare #AfterMass

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