This statue of Padre Pio is located in the new church at his shrine. (Photo by Jack Wintz, O.F.M.)

On December 3 and 4 (2007), 14 pilgrims and I visited the shrine and tomb of St. Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo in southern Italy. This small town on a barren mountainside is where Padre Pio began an assignment in 1917 at the Capuchin Friary and Church of Our Lady of Grace, and where he remained until his death in 1968.

During those 51 years many dramatic things happened at that friary and church. On September 20, 1918, Padre Pio received the stigmata while praying before a crucifix in the friary choir loft overlooking the inside of the church. As the story of this event and of Padre Pio’s spiritual gifts spread, thousands of people began arriving by the busloads to attend his Masses or to confess their sins to this devout Capuchin known to have the gift of “reading souls.�?Reports of remarkable healings performed by Padre Pio also began to circulate throughout the region and beyond, and continued to do so throughout the saint’s life—and after his death.

Of course, after Padre Pio’s canonization by Pope John Paul II on June 16, 2002, the thousands of pilgrims flowing into San Giovanni Rotondo have only multiplied.

The expansion of Padre Pio’s shrine

So what did we pilgrims encounter when our bus rolled into this greatly expanded town? For one thing, our group did not see the small façade of the simple Church of Our Lady of Grace (Santa Maria del Grazie) that Padre Pio knew in his early years there. Instead, we saw a new and greatly enlarged façade and structure that now houses both the “old church�?that Padre Pio knew in his early years and a much larger “new church�?that was built to accommodate the ever-growing numbers of pilgrims coming to attend Padre Pio’s Masses in later years.

And now, more recently—following Padre Pio�?beatification (1999) and canonization (2002)—a huge new Church of St. Pio stands behind this enlarged structure. It is able to hold over 7,000 people within its walls, while the outdoor plaza alongside it can hold thousands more.

House for the Relief of Suffering

A dream come true: House fo rthe Relief of Suffering (Photo by Jack Wintz, O.F.M.)

Meanwhile to the front and right of the enlarged structure (containing the two older churches) is a huge five-story hospital gleaming brightly in the sun. This hospital, known as the House for the Relief of Suffering, has 350 beds and was a dream of Padre Pio from early on. In 1940, Padre Pio and two doctors came up with the idea of constructing such a hospital. Work began in 1947, and the hospital was already in operation in 1954; it continues to thrive as a highly respected medical facility.

This hospital, more than anything else, has convinced me of the spiritual balance of Padre Pio. Even though he is credited with personally performing countless miraculous healings over the years, he was committed to building this hospital. This House for the Relief of Suffering shows that God’s everyday way of bringing about healing is through the skills of doctors and nurses as well as through the support and care of family and friends.

Padre Pio’s shrine today

St. Pio received the stigmata while praying before this crucifix. (Photo by Jack Wintz, O.F.M.)

A central feature of St. Pio’s shrine today is his tomb, which is constantly surrounded by the flow of pilgrims who pray for favors and for the healing of loved ones. Elsewhere in the shrine, visitors can also stand in awe before the striking crucifix before which Padre Pio himself was praying in 1918 when he received the stigmata on his hands, feet and side.

Another significant exhibit is Padre Pio’s friary cell now enclosed by glass. Many other exhibited items—photographs of Padre Pio, his parents, etc., and objects important in the life of Padre Pio—are well laid out in the corridors of the shrine.

In letters written to his spiritual directors, Padre Pio often wrote about being inflamed by the love that God poured out on this humble friar. We can end our visit to Padre Pio’s shrine with a short quote from one of his letters: “I am consumed by love for God and love for my neighbor. God is constantly fixed in my mind and imprinted on my heart�?(from Meet Padre Pio by Patricia Treece—Servant Books).