DAY 1 - Pietrelcina
Our morning departure from Dublin will take us to Naples airport where we will be met by our MarianPilgrimages representative who will remain with us for the duration of our pilgrimage. As we drive towards Pietrelcina, birthplace of Padre Pio, our guide will recount to us the significant events that took place during Padre Pio's years in his native town, his desire to join the Capuchin Order and of those who guided him on the path to his ordination to the priesthood.

After lunch in a local restaurant our guide will take us through the town of Pietrelcina, visiting 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. We will celebrate the opening Mass of our pilgrimage in the Church of the Holy Family and visit nearby Piana Romana, where Padre Pio received the first signs of the stigmata before driving to our destination of San Giovanni Rotondo, home to Padre Pio for over fifty years. After checking into our hotel, we will have time for relax before dinner.


DAY 2 - 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.


DAY 3 - Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel & Way of the Cross

Padre Pio had a great devotion to St. Michael the Archangel and travelled on pilgrimage to the shrine in Monte Sant'Angelo. During our morning drive to the oldest shrine in Western Europe dedicated to the Archangel Michael, we will hear of the apparitions of the Archangel Michael and have the privilege of celebrating Mass in the sacred cave.

Walking the Way of the Cross in the afternoon will allow us as Christians, to pause and enter reflectively into those last moments of Jesus's journey of love. Time at leisure will allow us the opportunity for confessions or to return to the crypt of St. Pio for private prayer.


DAY 4 - 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.


Please note as San Giovanni Rotondo is a hill-top town with a number of inclines which need to be negotiated to arrive at the sanctuary, it is not suitable for wheelchair users. As a result, there is no official local facility for hire of wheelchairs or mobile aids.