Prayer of St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina after Holy Communion
Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You.
Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak
and I need Your strength,
that I may not fall so often.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life,
and without You, I am without fervor.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light,
and without You, I am in darkness.
Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.
Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice
and follow You.
Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You
very much, and always be in Your company.
Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.
Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is,
I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of love.
Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close, and life passes;
death, judgment, eternity approaches. It is necessary to renew my strength,
so that I will not stop along the way and for that, I need You.
It is getting late and death approaches,
I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows.
O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile!
Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all it’s dangers. I need You.
Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of the bread,
so that the Eucharistic Communion be the Light which disperses the darkness,
the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart.
Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to You,
if not by communion, at least by grace and love.
Stay with me, Jesus, I do not ask for divine consolation, because I do not merit it,
but the gift of Your Presence, oh yes, I ask this of You!
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
The Context of This Prayer
This extraordinary prayer was composed by Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina as his personal prayer of thanksgiving after receiving Holy Communion. For Padre Pio, the Mass was the centre and summit of his entire life — he spent hours in preparation before Mass and sometimes wept uncontrollably during the Consecration, so intense was his awareness of Christ’s presence.
This prayer reveals the soul of a saint who understood in the deepest possible way what the Eucharist truly is: not a symbol or a ritual, but the real, personal presence of Jesus Christ — Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. When Padre Pio prayed “Stay with me, Lord,” he was speaking to someone who was genuinely, bodily present.
How to Pray This Prayer After Communion
This prayer is most powerful when prayed immediately after receiving Holy Communion, in the moments of silent adoration that follow. Many priests encourage the faithful to spend several minutes in personal prayer after Communion — this is the time when Christ is most intimately present within us.
You can also use this prayer during Eucharistic Adoration — the devotional practice of spending time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, where the Eucharist is exposed in a monstrance for adoration. Many parishes have perpetual adoration chapels; consider visiting to pray this prayer in the presence of the Eucharistic Lord.
The Theology of “Stay with Me”
The phrase “Stay with me” echoes the words of the disciples on the road to Emmaus: “Stay with us, Lord, for it is nearly evening” (Luke 24:29). These disciples had been walking with Jesus without recognising Him — until He broke bread with them and their eyes were opened.
Every Eucharist is an Emmaus moment. Christ walks with us, often unrecognised in the busyness of daily life. Praying “Stay with me” is asking the Lord to remain present to our awareness, not merely in the Eucharist but throughout the entire day — in our work, our relationships, our decisions, and our struggles.
Padre Pio’s Own Testimony
Padre Pio once said: “The Mass is the sum of all of God’s love. If I had to choose between going to Heaven and offering Mass, I would rather offer Mass — for Mass brings me to Heaven in a more direct way and with more certainty.”
To pray this prayer with the spirit of Padre Pio is to approach the Eucharist with the same awe, gratitude, and longing. Let it transform your Mass experience. Let the words sink into your heart: “Stay with me, Lord. I need You.”
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