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Dear Friends and devotees of St.Pio,
I am writing to wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas and
to take a look back over what was a very eventful year.
At the beginning of the year word arrived that our Holy Father was to
visit San Giovanni on June 21st. I had already made plans for two groups
and so we quickly arranged a third group for this special visit.
We arrived on June 20th to find the whole of the area badly flooded,
however, this in no way upset us as the excitement was building for
the following day. Those who had brought hats and umbrellas to protect
from the sun now needed them for protection against the rain. At 10.15
the Holy Father arrived and could be clearly seen by all. Up to 40,000
people cheered and waved as he first visited the body of St.Pio and
knelt in prayer. Silence descended when the face of St.Pio could be
clearly seen on screen. A moving and wonderful experience. A blanket
of cloud protected all from the June sun and as the ceremonies ended
the first drops of rain fell, but what did it matter we had been part
of a very special event.
Before leaving San Giovanni the Pope blessed the new crypt under the
basilica of St.Pio. Those of you who have not yet seen this church have
a treat in store. The corridor leading to the crypt has been covered
in mosaics. On the right is depicted the life of St.Pio and on the left
the life of St.Francis. When the door to the church is opened it simply
takes one's breath away. Around the walls are scenes from the life of
Christ and at the back of the altar is a cylindrical shape with an opening
to resemble the piercing with the lance. At the back of this opening
will be placed the body of St.Pio. Over the years many people donated
jewellery to St.Pio both in his lifetime and since his death. This gold
has now been smelted down, under supervision, and the roof is now lined
in gold leaf. A fitting and wonderful reliquary for the body of a saint.
On September 23rd the body o fSt.Pio was covered and left in the same
area under the church of Our Lady of Grace, no date has yet been announced
for the removal of the remains to the basilica. We celebrated the 30th
anniversary of our pilgrimage to Knock Shrine, attended by the Papal
Nuncio, the Irish Provincial of the Capuchins, Fr. Harrington, Fr. Antonio
Pompilio from San Giovanni and many others.
To all who helped make this event such a success, I say a big thank
you.
We are already thinking about next year.
We still have some calendars in stock and a limited number of Christmas
cards. Visit our website if you need any help with independent travel
to the Shrine of St.Pio. We try to keep it up to date with the help
of our friend Mr. Maurice Byme who has designed it and looks after it
for us. We lost some very dear group leaders during the year, be sure
St. Pio was waiting at the gates to lead them into paradise.
Best wishes from all here, Maureen, Marie, Dolores and Cora. I hope
you have a peaceful Christmas and New Year.
Eileen
Irish Office for St. Pio, 58 Dufferin Ave., S.C.Rd., Dublin 8. Phone:
01.4536359 (this number is wrong on our new relic leaflets)
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