Monday, 23rd June Arrive Italy
This afternoon, we will fly from Cork to Rome and upon arrival meet our Marian Pilgrimages representative who will remain with us for the duration of our pilgrimage. We will drive to our hotel and have a light snack before checking into our rooms.
Tuesday, 24th June Pietrelcina
After breakfast we will check out of our hotel and as we drive through the countryside to the town of Pietrelcina, we will hear of Padre Pio's years in his native town and of his desire from an early age to become a "monk with a beard.2 We will have lunch in a local restaurant and afterwards embark on a walking tour of the town which will include visits to the Forgione Family home where baby Francesco (future 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 in nearby Piana Romana have time for prayer before the tree beneath which Padre Pio received the first signs of the stigmata. We will continue our drive to San Giovanni Rotondo, home to Padre Pio for over fifty years and after checking into our rooms have dinner. This evening, the local people of San Giovanni Rotondo will come together to celebrate the Feast Day of their Patron Saint, St. John the Baptist, with a procession through the town.
Wednesday, 25th June English Office, Capuchin friary & Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina
The English Office was founded by Fr. Alessio Parente to welcome English-speaking pilgrims arriving in San Giovanni Rotondo. After the celebration of morning Mass, we will visit the English Office and learn more of the life of Padre Pio before receiving a blessing with the glove and crucifix used by the humble friar. In the afternoon, our guided tour of the sanctuary will allow us to walk in the footsteps of Padre Pio during his years in San Giovanni Rotondo. Our guide will take us to the ancient Church of Our Lady of Grace where Padre Pio celebrated Mass and heard confessions before continuing onto the capuchin friary, where we will learn more about the "poor friar who prays" as Padre Pio often described himself. Our day will conclude in the Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina where there will be time for private prayer before the remains of the great saint of our time.
Thursday, 26th June Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel
After breakfast, we will drive to the town of Monte Sant'Angelo, the oldest shrine in Western Europe dedicated to the Archangel Michael. Today we will hear of the apparitions of the Archangel Michael in the Gargano and have the privilege of celebrating Mass in the sacred cave. We will have time to stroll through the cobbled streets of this quaint town and after free time for lunch will return to San Giovanni Rotondo.
Friday, 27th June Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza & Way of the Cross
In 1956 Padre Pio presented to the world his greatest gift, "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" which today is one of the most important hospitals in Italy and an important part in the story of Padre Pio. After morning Mass in the old tomb where the remains of Padre Pio rested for over forty years, we will learn of the history behind what is regarded as Padre Pio's greatest creation. We will have free time for lunch and in the afternoon, 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.
Saturday, 28th June Manoppello
After breakfast, we will check out of our hotel and enjoy views of the Adriatic Coast as we drive to the town of 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 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. The wonderful scenery as we drive to the �Green Heart of Italy� will make for an enjoyable afternoon drive to Assisi, birthplace of St. Francis and St. Clare and resting place of Blessed Carlo Acutis. We will check into our hotel and after dinner walk to the nearby Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli for the evening Torchlight Procession.
Sunday, 29th June Assisi
After morning Mass, we will drive to the town of Assisi. As we walk through the town, our guide will recount to us episodes in the life of both St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi and how both relinquished lavish lifestyles in favour of a life of poverty and prayer. There will be time to venerate the original San Damiano cross and for private prayer at the tomb of St. Clare. We will continue onto the Sanctuary of the Spoliation, made famous as the spot where Francis stripped himself of his fine clothes, as he publicly relinquished his wealthy lifestyle in front of the people of Assisi. In the same sanctuary today rest the remains of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a young boy, and future saint, who was very much impressed by the figure of Francis of Assisi and who, just like Francis, liked nothing more than to help the poor. Our walking tour will conclude at the Basilica of St. Francis where we can admire the impressive frescoes and later have time for prayer at the tomb of the "Poor Man of Assisi." After free time for lunch, we will have time at leisure for personal sightseeing and shopping. As we return to Santa Maria degli Angeli, we will visit the basilica which is 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. We will see the Chapel of the Transito where Francis died, and the Rose Garden where today miraculously grow the roses without thorns.
Monday, 30th June Return home
In the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli we will celebrate the closing Mass of our pilgrimage and after time for private prayer depart to Fiumicino airport for our return flight to Cork.