Pilgrimage Itinerary

DAY 1 Arrive Naples

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. As we drive to Pietrelcina, our guide will give us an insight into the local customs of this part of Italy and talk us through the programme for the days ahead.

Upon arrival in Pietrelcina we will have free time for lunch and afterwards enjoy a guided tour of the town as we hear of 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 visit the museum where has preserved precious items from Padre Pio's time spent in Pietrelcina. Our day will conlude in nearby Piana Romana where we will have time for prayer before the tree beneath which Padre Pio received the first signs of the stigmata. We will drive to the four-star Bel Sito Hotel le Due Torri, and after checking into our rooms enjoy our evening meal.


DAY 2 Convent of Sant'Anna, Foggia

The beauty of the countryside will make for an enjoyable morning drive to the town of Foggia, where Padre Pio spent a brief period in 1916. We will celebrate Mass in the Church of Sant'Anna and later visit the cell occupied by the humble friar. We will continue our drive to San Giovanni Rotondo, and after lunch have time to relax and unpack.

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 Church of Our Lady of Grace, English Office, Capuchin friary

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.

After lunch, we will continue to walk in the footsteps of Padre Pio during his time in San Giovanni Rotondo. Visiting 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.


DAY 4 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 5 Return home

After early 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.