Pilgrimage Itinerary

Tuesday, 10th October - Pietrelcina

We will depart in the morning from Dublin to Naples and on arrival 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 in Avellino and after lunch, check into our rooms and have time to relax.

In the afternoon we will drive to the town of Pietrelcina, birthplace of St. Pio. We will celebrate Mass in the Church of the Holy Family and afterwards enjoy a walking tour as we begin to learn of the early life of Francesco Forgione (the future Padre Pio) with a visit to his family home and the Church of Sant� Anna where he was baptised and later in nearby Piana Romana, we will see the tree beneath which Padre Pio received the first signs of the stigmata. After time for private prayer, we will return to our hotel for dinner.


Wednesday, 11th October - Church & Convent of Sant�Anna, Foggia

After breakfast we will depart Avellino and drive to the Church of Sant�Anna in Foggia. Padre Pio stayed for a period of six months in the Capuchin convent of Sant�Anna before making his permanent move to San Giovanni Rotondo in 1916. After Mass we will visit the cell once occupied by the Capuchin friar before continuing our drive to San Giovanni Rotondo. Upon arrival at the Hotel Colonne, we will check into our rooms and have time to relax. In the afternoon we will visit the Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina and have time for prayer before the mortal remains of the great saint of our time.


Thursday, 12th October - English Office & Capuchin friary

This morning we will celebrate Mass in the Church of Our Lady of Grace and see the confessional where Padre Pio administered God�s Mercy for over fifty years. During our visit to the English Office we will hear more of the life of St. Pio and receive a blessing with the glove and crucifix used by the humble friar.

Our afternoon guided tour of 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.


Friday, 13th October - Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel

Padre Pio had a great devotion to St. Michael the Archangel. This morning we will drive to the nearby Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel in the town of Monte Sant�Angelo. We will celebrate Mass in the sacred cave and afterwards have time to stroll the cobbled streets of this quaint town.

Time at leisure in the afternoon will give us the opportunity to enjoy a stroll in the historical centre of San Giovanni Rotondo, learn more of its history and afterwards enjoy dinner in a local restaurant, sampling some of the wonderful local produce, unique to this part of Italy.


Saturday, 14th October - �Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza�

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. An important part in the story of Padre Pio, after Mass we will learn of the history behind what is regarded as Padre Pio�s greatest creation.

In the afternoon we will drive to St. Matthew�s monastery. Located along the �Pilgrims Path,� in this special place rich in faith and spirituality, we will receive a blessing with the relic of St. Matthew and Holy Oil. Before returning to San Giovanni Rotondo, we will visit Masseria Calderoso. Located in the picturesque countryside, surrounded by century old olive trees, the farm was donated to Padre Pio during the 1950�s and now provides the hospital with some wonderful fresh produce.

This evening, after dinner, we will have the opportunity to participate in the Marian Torchlight Procession as we honour the Madonna, for whom Padre Pio had a great devotion.


Sunday, 15th October - Way of the Cross

After morning Mass, we 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. Today, we will have the afternoon at leisure for confessions and to return to the crypt of St. Pio.


Monday, 16th October - Pompeii

Padre Pio had a great devotion to Our Lady of Pompeii and during his lifetime visited the Basilica of the Virgin of the Holy Rosary. This morning we will depart San Giovanni Rotondo and drive to Pompeii, during which we will hear of the visits of Padre Pio to the Papal Basilica and the history of its founder, Blessed Bartolo Longo and his own great works of charity. After free time for lunch, we will celebrate the closing Mass of our pilgrimage and afterwards see the rose, which was sent to the basilica by Padre Pio, just before his death in 1968. We will have the remainder of the afternoon at leisure for shopping and private sightseeing.


Tuesday, 17th October - Return home

This morning we will check out of our hotel and drive to Naples airport for our return flight to Dublin returning to our homes, filled with a sense of tranquillity, joy and peace in our hearts.