Pilgrimage Itinerary

Day 1 - Thursday, 15th June

This morning we will depart from Dublin to Naples with Ryanair. In the arrivals hall 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 towards Pietrelcina, birthplace of St. Pio, we will learn of the early years of Francesco Forgione (the future Padre Pio) and how he overcame many obstacles to fulfil his dream of becoming “a monk with a beard.”

After lunch in a local restaurant, our guided walking tour of the town of Pietrelcina will take us to the Forgione family home where Padre Pio was born and the Church of Sant’ Anna where he was baptised. We will celebrate the opening Mass of our pilgrimage in the Church of the Holy Family and later visit the museum where precious items have been preserved dating back to Padre Pio’s early years in Pietrelcina.

During our visit to nearby Piana Romana, we will see the farmhouse of the family and have time for prayer before the tree beneath which Padre Pio received the first signs of the stigmata.

We will enjoy views of the picturesque countryside as we drive to our destination of San Giovanni Rotondo, home to Padre Pio for over fifty years. Arriving at our hotel, located just a five-minute walk from the sanctuary, we will have dinner and the evening to relax and unpack.


Day 2 – 21st Anniversary of the Canonisation of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

Today as we mark the anniversary of the birth of Padre Pio, we will celebrate morning Mass in the ancient Church of Our Lady of Grace where Padre Pio spent many hours each day hearing confessions and afterwards in the English Office will receive a blessing with the glove and crucifix used by the capuchin friar.

After lunch, we will continue in learn of the life 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 often described himself. Here we will have the opportunity to see the cell once occupied by the humble friar and the crucifix before which he received the stigmata. Our afternoon will conclude at the church dedicated to St. Pio of Pietrelcina where we will have the remainder of the afternoon for private prayer before the mortal remains of the great saint of our time.


Day 3 – Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel, St. Matthew’s Monastery, Way of the Cross

After breakfast we will drive to the town of Monte Sant’Angelo, home to the Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel. In the sacred cave we will celebrate Mass and afterwards have time to stroll through the cobbled streets of this unique town with its quaint, white-washed houses. Before returning to San Giovanni Rotondo for lunch, we will visit the nearby St. Matthew’s monastery where we will receive a blessing with the relic of St. Matthew and Holy Oil.

Walking the Way of the Cross in the afternoon will allow us as Christians, to pause and enter reflectively into those last moments of Jesus’s journey of love. We will have the remainder of the afternoon at leisure for confessions and to return to the crypt of St. Pio.


Day 4 – “Home for Relief of the Suffering”

In 1956 Padre Pio presented to the world his greatest gift, “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza” which today is now one of the most important hospitals in Europe. After Mass we will learn of the history behind what is regarded as Padre Pio’s greatest miracle. We will enjoy time at leisure this afternoon with the opportunity for private sightseeing.


Day 4 – Morcone

After breakfast we will check out of our hotel and drive to the town of Morcone. We will have lunch in a local restaurant and afterwards visit the novitiate where the young Francesco entered in January 1903. In the ancient chapel, where the novice received the habit on the 22nd of January 1903, we will celebrate the closing Mass of our pilgrimage. After a tour of the friary, we will depart Morcone and drive to Naples airport as we return to our homes filled with a sense of joy, tranquillity, and peace in our hearts.