Pilgrimage Itinerary

DAY 1 Pietrelcina

We will depart in the morning from Dublin to Naples. On arrival, we will be greeted by our Marian Pilgrimages guide and driver who will remain with us for the duration of our pilgrimage. The beauty of the countryside will make for an enjoyable drive towards the town of Pietrelcina, birthplace of Padre Pio.

Our guided tour of Pietrelcina will take us to the Forgione Family Home where Padre Pio was born and Church of Sant’Anna where he was baptised and reveal to us the early years of Francesco Forgione and the many obstacles, he overcame to fulfil his dream of becoming a “monk with a beard.” We will celebrate the opening Mass of our pilgrimage in the Church of the Holy Family and in nearby Piana Romana, have time for prayer before the tree beneath which Padre Pio received the first signs of the stigmata. Our day will conclude with a scenic drive before arriving in San Giovanni Rotondo, home to Padre Pio for over fifty years.


DAY 2 Capuchin Friary, English Office & Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Our first morning in San Giovanni Rotondo will begin with the celebration of Mass in the ancient Church of Our Lady of Grace where Padre Pio celebrated Mass and heard confessions. During our visit to the English Office, we will be blessed with the glove of Padre Pio that covered the wounds of the stigmata and the crucifix used by the humble friar.

We will continue to walk in the footsteps of Padre Pio during his time in San Giovanni Rotondo. Visting the Capuchin friary will allow us to learn more about the “poor friar who prays” as he so often described himself. Here we will see the cell where the friar lived and died and the crucifix before which he received the stigmata. Our day will conclude with a visit to the Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina where we will pray before the mortal remains of the great saint of our time.


DAY 3 Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel & Way of the Cross

The Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries and visited by figures such as St. Francis of Assisi, St. John Paul II, Blessed Carlo Acutis and St. Pio. As we drive to the town of Monte Sant’Angelo, we will hear of the apparitions of St. Michael the Archangel and later celebrate Mass in the sacred cave. Afterwards we will have time to stroll the cobbled streets of this unique town with its quaint, white-washed houses.

As we walk the Way of the Cross in the afternoon, we will pause and enter reflectively into those last moments of Jesus’s journey of love. We will enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure with the opportunity for private prayer.


DAY 4 Return home

This morning, after breakfast, we will depart the town of St. Pio and drive to Naples airport as we return to our homes filled with a sense of joy, tranquillity, and peace in our hearts.