For every pilgrim it is a vow that is fulfilled, a dream that comes true.
THE Pilgrimages to San Giovanni Rotondo on the steps of San Pio da Pietrelcina they last three or four days and usually begin on Thursday or Friday, except in cases of long weekends and holidays.
Going on a pilgrimage to San Giovanni Rotondo means living a spiritual experience in the places where the friar lived and worked, visiting his cell inside the convent where he remained for 52 years, the two adjacent churches dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie, in the most recent of which is the crypt where the remains rest in the winter season, before being moved on the threshold of summer to the new sanctuary named after him.
The journey allows you to understand and learn about different aspects of the Saint and the spiritual strength of his figure.
Hundreds flocked to him every day for comfort, advice, a warning, reassurance about their own health or that of a family member, a greeting and even more often to confess.
Padre Pio had a word for everyone, a blessing, a promise of intercession, even if he did not hesitate to use severity in order to provoke the shock of conversion in those who knocked on his door.
He bore the wounds of the Passion on his body, he offered himself in expiation for sins and for all the souls, whose salvation was one of his priorities. He was a living sign of hope for everyone.
The pilgrims who arrive in this sacred place immediately sense that a Saint has passed through there: the confessional, the altar on which he celebrated Holy Mass, the small window from which, every day, he greeted the faithful by waving a handkerchief.
The testimonies of pilgrims are always extraordinary and touching. Many say they have received graces and miraculous healings through the intercession of Padre Pio.
Some report having felt signs of faith, comfort and consolation during the visit to the Sanctuary, others that they have been brought closer to God.
The experiences of the pilgrims are varied and personal, but they all tell of the incredible spirituality of the Capuchin saint and his still current power to intercede for the needs of the devotees, his spiritual children.
He once exclaimed: “I will make more noise dead than alive.” It happened just like that.
Leaving on an organized trip to San Giovanni Rotondo also offers the possibility of an excursion to Monte Sant’Angelo, to the cave sanctuary where San Michele Arcangelo appeared and thus visit one of the most evocative places on the gulf of Manfredonia.
The Coach Trip experience from Northern Italy also allows you to pass by the Holy House of Loreto near Ancona and experience a very special and exciting moment of Marian devotion. According to ancient tradition, the walls are precisely those of Mary’s home in Nazareth, the one in which she was born, lived and received the announcement of the archangel Gabriel.
During the pilgrimage days we will try to put into practice the Saint’s advice: “Agitation is of no use. God is merciful and will hear your prayer”.
They will thus become days capable of changing your life, like all pilgrimages that begin by chance and then become a moment to enjoy the joy of sincere belief.
