Pilgrimage Itinerary

Day 1 � Arrive Italy

This afternoon 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. We will drive to the Bel Sito Hotel le Due Torri where we will spend the first night of our pilgrimage. Upon arrival at our hotel we will check into our rooms and have dinner.


Day 2 � Pietrelcina

The beauty of the countryside will make for an enjoyable drive this morning to 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 3 � English Office, Capuchin Friary, 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. 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. 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 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. Before returning to San Giovanni Rotondo, we will visit the cemetery where the parents of Padre Pio, Mary Pyle, and our good friends Fr. Alessio and Fr. Joseph are entombed. 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 � �Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza� & Historical Centre of San Giovanni Rotondo

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 the celebration of Mass, we will hear of the history behind what is regarded as Padre Pio�s greatest creation. We will enjoy an afternoon at leisure with the opportunity to discover more of the history of San Giovanni Rotondo, its townspeople and traditions - a town much loved by Padre Pio.


Day 6 - Manoppello

This morning we will depart San Giovanni Rotondo and drive to Manoppello where we will visit the Basilica of the Holy Face. Relics, considered to be the burial cloths of Christ have been stored for centuries and are scattered throughout Europe however only two of the cloths have images upon them: the Shroud of Turin and the cloth at Manoppello.

We will celebrate Mass and afterwards have the opportunity to venerate the �Santo Sudarium�, the veil that has been carefully preserved above the alter, which is believed to have been the cloth lain over the head of Christ in the Tomb. We will hear of the examinations that have been carried out over the years on the veil and of the mysterious arrival of the cloth in the town of Manoppello.

We will have an enjoyable drive through the �Green Heart of Italy� as we drive to Assisi, birthplace of St. Francis and St. Clare. Upon arriving at our hotel, we will check into our rooms and have dinner.


Day 7 � Chapel of the Porziuncola, Tour of the medieval town of Assisi, Visit to the Tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis

This morning we will celebrate Mass in the nearby Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, home to the Chapel of the Porziuncola where Francis realised his true calling and where on Palm Sunday of 1212, he accepted Clare into the Order - a fitting place from which to begin our pilgrimage in Assisi. We will have time for private prayer in this special place and afterwards see the Chapel of the Transito where Francis died, and the famous Rose Gar-den where today grows the miraculous roses without thorns. We will drive to the town of Assisi, and have free time for lunch.

The name �Carlo Acutis� became known throughout the world when on the 12th of October 2020, in the pres-ence of his parents and siblings, he was beatified in the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. The young Carlo was always impressed by the story of St. Francis of Assisi and the town of St. Francis was a place with which he had a deep affection. Carlo did great things in his short life, and it was no surprise that he requested to be buried in the town of St. Francis. After lunch, we will visit the Sanctuary of the Renunciation and have time for prayer be-fore the Tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis.

Accompanied by our guide, we will enjoy a walking tour of the medieval town of Assisi as we learn more of the life of both St. Francis and that of St. Clare and how they relinquished lavish lifestyles in favour of a life of pov-erty and prayer. Our tour will conclude at the Basilica of St. Francis where we will have time for prayer at the tomb of the �Poverello of Assisi.�


Day 8 � Convent of San Damiano

This morning we will visit the Convent of San Damiano. Located in a beautiful setting just outside the walls of Assisi, the Church and Convent of San Damiano is the place where St. Francis received his miraculous calling in 1205 and where St. Clare died in 1253 � an important stop on a pilgrimage to the Franciscan Holy City. In this wonderful place of prayer, we will celebrate the closing Mass of our pilgrimage and after lunch drive to Rome for our return flight to Dublin, as we return to our homes filled with a sense of peace, tranquillity.