CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte will host a collection of relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina – more commonly known as Padre Pio – from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 11, at St. Patrick Cathedral.
A Mass in honor of St. Pio will be offered by Father Christopher Roux, rector, at 8 a.m. Veneration of the relics will begin after Mass at 9 a.m. A Mass in the Extraordinary Form will also be offered by Father Jason Barone, promoter of vocations for the diocese, at 5:30 p.m.
The sacrament of reconciliation will also be available during the day.
St. Pio was born on May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina, Italy, and baptized Francesco Forgione. He first expressed his desire for priesthood when he was 10. The future saint entered the Capuchin order when he was 15, taking the name Pio. He was ordained a priest in 1910 at the age of 23.
During his lifetime, Padre Pio was known as a mystic with miraculous powers of healing and knowledge and who bore the stigmata, wounds that correspond to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ. They can appear on the forehead, hands, wrists and feet. The stigmata remained with him until his death on Sept. 23, 1968.
Pope John Paul II canonized him in 2002.
The relics of St. Pio that will be available for public veneration are: his glove; crusts of the wounds; cotton gauze with blood stains; a lock of his hair; his mantle; and a handkerchief soaked with his sweat just hours before he died.
The Saint Pio Foundation, which is sponsoring the tour, will provide books and items related to St. Pio in the entryway of the cathedral.
St. Patrick Cathedral is located at 1621 Dilworth Road East in Charlotte. Limited parking is available along city streets adjoining the cathedral. There is also a parking lot and an additional parking area behind St. Patrick School on Buchanan Street which runs alongside the cathedral.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Learn more
Information about the relic tour at St. Patrick Cathedral can be found at www.stpatricks.org. More details about the relics and the Saint Pio Foundation can be found at www.saintpiofoundation.org.