PILGRIMAGE TO SAINT PADRE PIO DA PIETRALCINA

Appointment in Piazza dei Partigiani- Ostiense Railway Station – ticket hall. Departure at 07.15 by deluxe tour bus for San Giovanni Rotondo, the city where Padre Pio, born in Pietrelcina in 1887, lived from 1916 to 1968. Check-in at the hotel and lunch. In the afternoon, a Mass and the visit to the Sanctuary and the places familiar to the saint. The Friars Minor Capuchin have been in San Giovanni since 1540, when a benefactor gave a tract of land to the new Order. A cross, still present on the portal of the old church, recalls the foundation of the monastery, and it was in this church that St. Pio carried out most of his ministry. He celebrated the Eucharist here very early in the morning, and spent many hours in the confessional. Padre Pio exercised his ministry as confessor throughout his life, encountering thousands of people in the sacrament of reconciliation. To recall this, pilgrims can receive a plenary indulgence at the Sanctuary. The church contains the icon of Our Lady of Grace, to whom St. Pio was especially devoted. Full board at the hotel.

Departure for Monte Sant’Angelo. Visit to the ancient Sanctuary dedicated to St. Michael Archangel, a place of pilgrimage and prayer for fifteen centuries. It is at the top of Monte Sant’Angelo, 800 metres high, overlooking the Gulf of Manfredonia. It consists of a grotto and a complex of buildings dating from various centuries. Celebration of Mass. Return to San Giovanni Rotondo for lunch. Afternoon free for completing visits and personal prayer. Full board at the hotel.

Departure for Pietrelcina, where Padre Pio was born and lived until he was a teenager. Visit of the house where he was born. In the afternoon return to Rome, where we arrive in the evening.