Proposed Pilgrimage Itinerary *

DAY 1 - Good Friday

Pietrelcina

Stations of the Cross, Piana Romana

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. Today, 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.

Our afternoon will conclude in 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 time to relax in our rooms before dinner.


DAY 2 - 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 chose to follow the rule of St. Francis of Assisi by joining the Capuchin Franciscan Order. During this year which marks the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, this morning as we visit the Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel, we will be following in the footsteps of these two great saints who both travelled on pilgrimage to this once remote shrine.

As we drive to the town of Monte Sant'Angelo we will hear of the apparitions of the Archangel Michael in the Gargano and have time for prayer in the sacred cave. There will be the opportunity to enjoy a stroll through this hill-top town with its quaint white-wash houses. Before returning to San Giovanni Rotondo, a stop at the local cemetery will allow us to visit the chapel where the remains of the parents of Padre Pio, some close family members and Mary Pyle are entombed.

After lunch, we will visit the English Office and receive a blessing with the glove and crucifix used by Padre Pio before embarking on a guided tour of the sanctuary which will help us to learn more about the poor friar who prays as Padre Pio so often described himself. As we walk through the capuchin friary, we will see the cell where the humble friar 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. This evening after dinner we will have the opportunity to attend the Easter Vigil ceremony in the Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina.


DAY 3 - 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 Mnoday

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 during this special Easter period.