We spent most of the day travelling to San 
Giovanni Rotondo, the home for many years of Capuchin priest Padre and now Saint Pio. To be honest, whilst I had heard of Padre Pio previously I did not know very much about him. But in preparation for this trip, I read a biography of Pio and was truly amazed. The gifts of bilocation, clairvoyance, reading of souls, stigmatist. A life filled with suffering but sustained by the Eucharist.
Giovanni Rotondo, the home for many years of Capuchin priest Padre and now Saint Pio. To be honest, whilst I had heard of Padre Pio previously I did not know very much about him. But in preparation for this trip, I read a biography of Pio and was truly amazed. The gifts of bilocation, clairvoyance, reading of souls, stigmatist. A life filled with suffering but sustained by the Eucharist. The morning was enlivened by an experience of the passionate Italian character. We waited some 45 minutes for our bus. Our tour leader called the coach agency to check on the driver and learnt that it was caught in traffic. But the agency head was not pleased with the driver and (apparently) scolded him for being late. He protested that he had woken up at 4.40am after sleeping at midnight checking the routes. Despite this early start, he could not get to the hotel on time because of Rome's heavy traffic. Our tour leader observed that he was surprised that the tour agency had not booked a hotel room for the driver; important so that he would start off the day well rested when he picked us up, instead of already been on the road for a couple of hours. Anyway, the driver argued (at great length, and very noisily) with his agency on the phone en route – note that the nature of the Italian is such that he has to gesture every now and then, taking his hand off the wheel in the process. I saw Father put his hand in his pocket for his Rosary, to pray for a safe journey and for the driver.
Indeed, we were to spend much time saying our rosary. Father is building up slowly. We said two rosaries, the Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries. Unfortunately the second round was after lunch and it was a drowsy group repeating our Hail Marys.
Despite the late start, we got to Rotondo for our mass, scheduled at 3.15pm and to be con-celebrated by Father and a priest accompanying an Irish group. Mass was in the original church of Santa Maria della Grazia (Our Lady of Grace), in which Pio himself had celebrated mass and said confessions. It was a votive mass for St Pio, and was really another celebration of the universal church, where two groups of pilgrims from different countries gather together in a third country to attend the same mass which all can follow, singing songs known by all.
Thereafter, we saw a few videos and toured the little museum of 
Padre Pio. But the high point of the visit was definitely the time spent at the side of the body of Pio. The serene face of the saint, resting in his glass coffin, surrounded by those who had come to venerate him. Pio, in his long life, had thousands upon thousands of fans. In fact, if anything, he was able to generate the kind of passionate following which people normally bestow on pop stars and actors. The museum featured some of the letters which Pio received, apparently so many that the Capuchins had to deploy their friars to help open and answer his mail. Similarly, the queues for his confessional were so long that a queue ticketing system had to be introduced. The biography also describes how a group of local, “Pious Ladies” were so jealous of the time the saint spent on anyone else that they would push and shove aside people who were waiting for him at the confessional. Indeed, as the biography states, it would seem that his greatest trial was not so much the stigmata which marked his hands, feet and side but dealing with the masses who came to see him every day, and the problems the Pious Ladies gave him!
Padre Pio. But the high point of the visit was definitely the time spent at the side of the body of Pio. The serene face of the saint, resting in his glass coffin, surrounded by those who had come to venerate him. Pio, in his long life, had thousands upon thousands of fans. In fact, if anything, he was able to generate the kind of passionate following which people normally bestow on pop stars and actors. The museum featured some of the letters which Pio received, apparently so many that the Capuchins had to deploy their friars to help open and answer his mail. Similarly, the queues for his confessional were so long that a queue ticketing system had to be introduced. The biography also describes how a group of local, “Pious Ladies” were so jealous of the time the saint spent on anyone else that they would push and shove aside people who were waiting for him at the confessional. Indeed, as the biography states, it would seem that his greatest trial was not so much the stigmata which marked his hands, feet and side but dealing with the masses who came to see him every day, and the problems the Pious Ladies gave him!We had some time after the group session to wander around the area on our own – to look at the extension of the original church. We retraced many of our steps – it is so peaceful to go around on one's own. We walked to the top of the church, to the choir loft and saw the crucifix from which Pio received the stigmata, also to the museum where we saw some of the relics which he had left behind. The room in which he lived and died has also been left intact. Later we walked outside to see the hospital which Pio had built – what started off a simple medical facility which is now one of the top hospitals in Italy.
S Pio is a modern saint, who lived and died in the 20th century. His life was marked with a lot of physical suffering, culminating in the bearing of the stigmata for most of his life. Yet he maintained his constant faith and love for God. What he achieved during this life of suffering is indeed an inspiration to all of us of what a true saint of God can do!
More pix of Padre Pio: http://www.flickr.com/photos/taking5/tags/padrepio/
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