The heart relic of Saint Padre Pio will visit the Philippines from October 6 to 26, 2018. The heart relic has visited only three countries so far, the United States, Paraguay and Argentina; now the Philippines where he will stay for the longest period of 21 days.
Father Joselin “Jojo” Gonda, Rector of the National Shrine of St. Padre Pio in Batangas announced the visit as “a time of grace” for Filipinos, as we prepare for the 500th year of the arrival of Christianity in our country.
Fr. Jojo also mentioned the significance of the timing of the visit as this year marks the Centennial (100 years) of Padre Pio’s receiving the stigmata (the five wounds of Jesus) on September 20, and the saint’s golden death anniversary (50 years) on September 23.
“The visit of the heart relic is a fitting epilogue to these two important events in the life of St. Padre Pio,” he added.
With the Philippine Church observing 2018 as the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons, Padre Pio serves as a role model for priests, he said.
“Padre Pio, given as a role model for them, can be an inspiration and challenge to us to have a heart like his, close to the Eucharistic and forgiving heart like the Lord,” Gonda said.
“It is for this reason that the forthcoming visit of the incorrupt heart of this saintly priest who died in 1968 at San Giovanni Rotondo in Foggia, Italy where he spent his entire life as a Capuchin friar, will be more significant,” he added.
There will be exclusive one-day veneration of the heart relic for priests and religious in the different venues — Manila, Cebu and Davao in the course of the the visit.
The incorrupt heart of Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina will arrive on the evening of October 5, 2018, at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). It will be followed by a motorcade to the National Shrine of St. Padre Pio in Sto. Tomas, Batangas where the welcome Mass will be held between 1-2 a.m. on October 6, 2018.
Schedule of the Visit of the RELIC of the HEART of St. Padre Pio:
October 6-7 National Shrine of St. Padre Pio
October 8-10 Manila Cathedral
October 11-13 Cebu Cathedral
October 14-16 Davao Cathedral
The relic will go back to Batangas in the morning of October 17, where a concelebrated Mass will be held at the San Sebastian Cathedral in Lipa City. After the Mass, it will proceed to the Capuchin Monastery at Brgy. San Sebastian in the city for the exclusive veneration of the Capuchins of the Philippines.
From October 18, the relic will stay at the National Shrine, and round-the-clock venerations will take place until its departure on October 26, after a farewell Mass at 9 am.
The historic visit is made possible through the initiative of the Archdiocese of Lipa, headed by Lipa Archbishop Gilbert Garcera and Fr. Gonda in collaboration with the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Clergy.
