The Habit of Saint Pio

The National Centre for Padre Pio is honored to welcome a group of Italian friars from Padre Pio’s friary, Our Lady of Grace Capuchin Friary in San Giovanni Rotondo, led by Padre Francesco Dileo, OFM, Cap., the Provincial Minister of the Capuchin Friars Minor in San Giovanni Rotondo. The friars are coming to the USA for a special four-day visit to Barto from October 11 to October 14, 2025.

In what promises to be a momentous occasion for the Faithful, Padre Pio’s brother friars, who feel a very strong priestly affection for his American Spiritual Children, will bring an extraordinary relic—a full-size, authentic habit worn by Saint Pio himself, never before seen in the United States—for veneration by all who visit. In addition, they will bring with them a smaller relic with which the Faithful will be blessed.

Padre Pio’s brown Capuchin Franciscan habit is far more than a simple garment — it is a sacred symbol of his vocation, his humility, and his total dedication to Christ. As a Capuchin friar, Padre Pio embraced the values of poverty, penitence, and service, and his habit served as a constant outward sign of those commitments. It also represented his deep spiritual union with Jesus, especially in suffering, as he bore the stigmata for 50 years. To venerate this habit is to draw closer to the very heart of Padre Pio’s sanctity — to his mission of prayer, sacrifice, and love for all God’s people.

The Centre’s relationship with Our Lady of Grace Capuchin Friary began in 1968, when our founder, Vera M. Calandra, had two audiences with Padre Pio which led to the miraculous healing of her fifth child, Vera Marie. In thanksgiving for the extraordinary grace her family received, Mrs. Calandra dedicated the rest of her life to spreading awareness of Padre Pio’s life and spirituality. She became the first official North American representative of the friary, and through that affiliation, with the help and support of the friars, established the “Cause for Padre Pio in the USA”—an effort that would eventually grow into the organization you know and love today: the National Centre for Padre Pio.

“This unprecedented visit from the friars of San Giovanni Rotondo is an amazing opportunity for us to be able to share a rare and intimate relic of Padre Pio with his devotees. We expect to have pilgrims visiting from throughout the United States, and we will be ready to make their visit a special time of veneration, prayer, and reflection.” – Vera Maria Calandra, Vice-President

 “We could not be more excited about having the opportunity to have Padre Dileo and other friars from Padre Pio’s Our Lady of Grace friary in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy visit us with these rare and precious relics. We continue to be enormously blessed to have a close relationship with Padre Pio’s brother friars, and we are excited about our continued relationship.” – Nick Gibboni, Executive Director

This historic event provides a potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for devotees of Saint Pio who may never travel to San Giovanni Rotondo to be able to experience a profound connection to Padre Pio’s legacy! His Capuchin Franciscan habit will be available to the public for veneration daily, allowing all to engage in deep spiritual reflection and prayer in the saint’s presence.

Event Schedule:
Saturday, October 11, 2025: Open 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Mass with Procession in honor of Padre Pio at 10:30 AM
Sunday Anticipated Mass at 4:00 PM

Sunday, October 12, 2025: Open 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Mass with Procession in honor of Padre Pio at 12:30 PM

Monday, October 13, 2025: Open 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Mass in English at 10:30 AM
Mass in Italian at 2:00 PM

Tuesday, October 14, 2025: Open 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Mass in English at 10:30 AM with Bishop Alfred A. Schlert, D.D., J.C.L.
Mass in Italian at 2:00 PM

This promises to be a truly incredible celebration of Saint Pio, the Our Lady of Grace Capuchin friars, and their almost 60 year relationship with the Calandra family and the National Centre for Padre Pio.

If you have not yet made a visit to the National Centre for Padre Pio in 2025, this is a remarkable opportunity to do so! In addition to having the habit of Padre Pio here for four days, we are also a designated Jubilee “Pilgrims of Hope” destination within the Diocese of Allentown; it is truly a blessing to have Padre Pio’s brother friars visit with his habit during this special Jubilee, and there is no better time for a pilgrimage to Barto. We hope you will take advantage of this extremely rare, potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Whether you are able to attend or not, we invite everyone to click HERE to submit your prayer intentions to be placed at the altar for each Mass and blessed by Padre Dileo. You can also click HERE or the button below to make a contribution in honor of this historic event!

We are so excited to be able to bring this opportunity to Padre Pio’s devotees in the United States in conjunction with Padre Pio’s brother friars in Italy! And we look forward to meeting so many of you for the first time. Should you be travelling from far away, please feel free to contact us at (610) 845-3000 during our office hours of 9:00 am – 5:00 pm EST, Monday through Friday, for assistance. For your convenience, we will have Italian food and cold beverages available for purchase every day of the event. For those of you who may be considering flying in, the two closest airports to us are Lehigh Valley International Airport and Philadelphia International Airport, and information on nearby lodging may be found HERE.