In Photo:The pilgrims in front of Our Lady of Grace Church where Padre Pio received his stigmata.
“The memory of the Saints leads us to raise our eyes to Heaven: not to forget the realities of the earth, but to face them with greater courage, with more hope.” – Pope Francis
Jay Ledesma
Perhaps, two of the most popular and beloved Saints among Filipinos are Saints Francis and Padre Pio. The St Francis Prayer is a favorite during prayers for peace and even during mass. On the other hand, the Parish and National Shrine of Padre Pio is never void of its devotees. Personally, having graduated from St Francis High School in Sta. Ana, Manila, I have a special devotion to St Francis. In fact, I even played a bit role when a musical play on his life was staged in our school by Fr James Reuter, during the early 80s. That’s why I was so happy and excited to find out that a visit to their hometown and churches is part of the pilgrimage.
Basilica of Sta Maria degli Angeli in Assisi
Porzuincula, small chapel built by St Francis
The rose bush garden where the roses never wilt
Church of St Clare
The incorrupt body of St Clare
From Nice, France, we traveled to the walled city of Assisi, the hometown of St Francis and St Clare. A mass was celebrated by Fr Joey Faller before we toured the Basilica of Sta Maria degli Angeli, where St Francis spent most of his life and where the Franciscan movement started. Inside the Basilica are the rose bush garden, where roses are said not to wither, the cave where St Francis prayed and the Porzuincula, a beautiful small chapel which St Francis built himself.
We then proceeded to the Church of St Clare, who founded the Order of Poor Clares. The church houses some of the relics of St Clare. But I have to say that the highlight of our Assisi tour was seeing the incorrupt body of St Clare. Though it has been blackened with age (about 6 centuries after it was discovered), the body remains to be incorrupt.
The brown door is part of the original family house of St Francis at Chiesa Nuova
The tomb of St Francis above the altar
The Basilica of St Francis
We spent few hours walking around the Old Town and briefly stopped at Chiesa Nuova, where the home of St Francis’ family was built. Further down was the Basilica of St Francis, where we saw many of his possessions and wall/ceiling paintings depicting his life. There is also a crypt with an altar and his tomb above it. The Basilica, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage.
Leaving Assisi, we motored to the Basilica della Santa Casa, a Marian shrine in Loreto. Inisde the Basilica is where the most treasured and venerated shrine of our Lady, the Holy House of Nazareth, can be found. The Holy House is believed to be where the Blessed Virgin Mary lived in Nazareth and was flown to the current site by angelic beings. While some parts of the Holy House had been reconstructed after a fire, they were still able to save and reuse some of the original stones. Those with glass coverings are said to be original. Sadly, taking of photos inside the Holy House was not allowed.
The grounds of the Basilica della Santa Casa
One side of the Holy House of Nazareth
Main Entrance of the Church of Legontian, site of the Eucharistic miracle
The glass encasement with the host which turned to flesh and the wine turned to blood
Our Lady of Grace Church, where Padre Pio received his stigmata
The actual site in the church where Padre Pio received the stigmata
From Loreto, we proceeded to Lanciano, to visit the Church of St Legontian, where a Eucharistic miracle took place. The miracle happened in 8th century A.D., during a mass, when the host was turned into a live human flesh and the wine into live blood, which coagulated into 5 parts of differing shapes and sizes. Among the many eucharistic miracles, this was the most celebrated.
We spent 2 nights at San Giovanni Rotondo, where St Padre Pio lived from 1916 until his death in 1968. We visited the Church of Santa Maria della Grazie (Our Lady of Grace), within which we saw the small chapel where Padre Pio celebrated mass, the rooms containing his books, clothing and the rosaries he was giving to the faithful. We also saw the room where he was bedridden and died. But the most important of it all…we were in the actual spot where he received the stigmata. From there, we went to the Sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, also referred to as Padre Pio Pilgrimage Church. The area is big that it has a seating capacity of 6500 with standing room for 30,000 people outside. The walls of the ramp leading to the lower church and the crypt are adorned with mosaics depicting the life stories of St Francis, Padre Pio, the Gospel and the Old Testament. Inside the lower church, the walls and ceilings are covered with gold, donated by the faithful. The crypt holds the exposed body of Padre Pio. Devotees from all over the world patiently wait for their turn from the long queue. But it’s all worth the wait. Once in front of his incorrupt body, devotees are given ample time to pray, meditate and venerate.
The Padre Pio Pilgrimage Church
The incorrupt body of Padre Pio
The walls and ceilings of the crypt is made of gold
Before departing for Rome, we passed by the town of Pietrelcina, where Padre Pio was born and raised. We had a mass at the Church of St Mary degli Angeli, from where the house where Padre Pio grew up was just a stone throw away.
The house where Padre Pio was born and raised
St Francis, St Clare and St Padre Pio all lived in the Franciscan spirit of poverty with detachment from self, earthly possessions, and comfort. No wonder, many Filipinos can relate and identify with them and with the religious beliefs and principles they represent.
Pray. Hope. Don’t Worry. Let’s be an instrument of God’s Peace.
The churches of Rome in Part 3, next week! (Jay Ledesma)