Proposed Pilgrimage Itinerary *

HOLY THURSDAY
Mass of the Lords Supper, Pietrelcina

Our morning departure from Dublin will take us to Naples airport where we will be met by our Marian Pilgrimages representative who will remain with us for the duration of our pilgrimage. We will drive to our hotel in Benevento and after lunch, check into our rooms. This afternoon, we will hear of Padre Pio's years spent in his native town of Pietrelcina, his desire from an early age to join the Capuchin Order and of the figures that guided him on the path to his ordination to the priesthood. Our guided walking tour through the town of Pietrelcina will include visits to the Forgione family home where Padre Pio was born, the Church of Sant Anna where he was baptised and the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, where he celebrated his first Mass.

Afterwards we will attend the Mass of the Lords Super, marking the beginning of the Easter Triduum.


GOOD FRIDAY
Stations of the Cross, Piana Romana
Celebration of the Passion of the Lord, San Giovanni Rotondo

This morning, we will drive to Piana Romana, where Padre Pio received the first signs of the stigmata, and on this Good Friday will walk the Way of the Cross, which will allow us as Christians, to pause and enter reflectively into those last moments of Jesus's journey of love.

We will drive to our destination of San Giovanni Rotondo, home to Padre Pio for over fifty years. After checking into our hotel, we will have lunch and, in the afternoon, attend the celebration of the Passion of the Lord in the Church of Our Lady of Grace, where Padre Pio celebrated Mass.

Our day will conclude with a visit to the Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina where we will have time for prayer in the crypt before the mortal remains of Padre Pio Pio.


HOLY SATURDAY
Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel
Blessing with the glove of Padre Pio
Tour of the Capuchin friary
Easter Vigil Mass - Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Padre Pio had a great devotion to St. Michael the Archangel and travelled on pilgrimage to the shrine in the nearby town of Monte Sant Angelo. During our morning drive, we will hear of the Apparitions of St. Michael the Archangel and have time for private prayer in the sacred cave. Time at leisure afterwards will give us the opportunity to spend time in private prayer at the shrine or for a stroll through this unique town with its quaint, white-washed houses.

After lunch, we will visit the English Office and receive a blessing with the glove and crucfix used by Padre Pio. Our guided tour of the sanctuary in San Giovanni Rotondo will help us to learn more about the poor friar who prays as he so often described himself. As we walk through the capuchin friary, we will see the cell where Padre Pio lived and died, the crucifix before which he received the stigmata and the museum where are carefully preserved items dating back to Padre Pios years in San Giovanni Rotondo. We will have the remainder of the afternoon at leisure with the opportunity for confession. This evening after dinner we will have the opportunity to attend the Easter Vigil ceremony in the Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina.


EASTER SUNDAY
Easter Sunday Mass - Ancient Church of Our Lady of Grace
Padre Pio & Home for Relief of the Suffering

In 1956 Padre Pio presented to the world his greatest gift, Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, Today Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza is one of the top hospitals in southern Italy, and despite it being almost 70 years since it's inauguration, the message of Padre Pio has remained and is still very much evident today. After morning Mass, on this Easter Sunday, we will hear of the history of the hospital and of those people who worked alongside Padre Pio in helping him to realise his dream of turning the once-remote, agricultural town of San Giovanni Rotondo into a Hospital City.

The remainder of the afternoon at leisure, will give us the opportunity to return to the crypt for private prayer.


EASTER MONDAY
Return home

This morning, we will depart the town of Padre Pio and drive to Naples airport as we return to our homes having walked in the footsteps of one of the great saints of our time.