By Christina Hermoso After a crowd-drawing pilgrim tour of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, the incorrupt heart of well-loved Italian Saint Padre Pio of PIetrelcina will be brought back to San Giovanni de Rotondo in Italy tomorrow. Devotees flock to the Manila Cathedral to get a chance to see and touch the relic of Incorrupt Heart of Saint Padre Pio, which will be in the Philippines for 21 days from October 5-26. From Manila, it will be bought to Cebu, and Davao.
(ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN) Devotees are reminded that there will be no public veneration after the 9 a.m. farewell mass, said Fr. Joselin Gonda, rector of the National Shrine of Padre Pio in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. The priest said he expects a surge in the number of devotees of the miraculous healer after he witnessed the throngs of people who venerated the heart relic during its nationwide tour. “Saint Padre Pio may be considered as the Saint of the Millennium with the great number of people who lined up to pray before his incorrupt heart. The faithful’s response was extraordinary. We were all surprised at the thousands of devotees who came to pray before his heart relic. Saint Pio is popular for performing miracles and healing that is why many wanted to personally see his first-class relic,” Gonda said over Church-run Radio Veritas. He, likewise, expressed his gratitude to the devotees who continue to visit the shrine. “Saint Pio symbolizes hope to these people, to those who have problems, who are ill, physically, spiritually, emotionally. They are praying for the intercession of Padre Pio for that much needed God-given miracle in their lives,” Gonda said. “Padre Pio has offered a lot of hope to Filipinos. His visit helped strengthen the faith of the Filipinos, who are always waiting for miracles to happen and for more blessings to come from God. Padre Pio keeps that hope alive,” Gonda said.