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During World War I, Padre Pio was drafted into the army, though due to his health, his service was minimal and did not last long. Upon his discharge, Padre Pio returned to his Order and served as a spiritual director at the seminary at San Giovanni Rotondo. His days were occupied by meditation, hearing confessions, and the teaching and spiritual direction of the young seminarians. It was here, while praying before a crucifix, that Padre Pio received the wounds of the stigmata, the wounds of Christ crucified. He would bear these wounds for the next 50 years, until the end of his life in 1968.