Our Lady of Peace parishioners honor Padre Pio with new shrine

RIDLEY TOWNSHIP – The devotion to saints and prayers of special intention are important to the parishioners of Our Lady of Peace Church, so the shrines dotting the perimeter of the church’s interior  read like a sacred who’s who list: St. Anthony, St. Joseph, Blessed Mother Mary, St. Theresa, Sacred Heart, the Pieta, among others. The newest shrine of honor to join its holy counterparts is dedicated to Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, more commonly known as Padre Pio.

The beautiful Padre Pio shrine, situated in the back of the church, right next to the spot devoted to St. Anthony, is the result of popular demand.
“Parishioners were always asking if we could possibly make a spot in our church, dedicated to Padre Pio,” Rev. Joseph Devlin, pastor of OLP, explained. “Many parishioners and others in this area are deeply devoted and inspired by him.”
Parishioners and other devotees of the beloved saint donated money recently to collectively purchase a 5-foot,7-inch, life-sized statue of Padre Pio to create the shrine for their intercessory prayer and praying of the Padre Pio Novena.
“It was amazing how quickly the shrine went from an idea to reality,” OLP Deacon John Ellis said. “When we announced that we would begin raising funds for the statue, the donations flowed in and we were able to raise the money needed in only a few weeks.”
St. Pio is the patron saint of pain, suffering, and healing, so many people ask for his intercession with their intentions to heal themselves or their loved ones. He is also the saint of stress relief. Padre Pio’s advice to people who came to him for help was, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.”
Visitors to Our Lady of Peace Church can now pray and light small candles at the new shrine or have a large candle lit for a week-long vigil, with a request for prayers for a special intention. On Thursday evening, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m., Rev. Michael Greco, O.F.M. Cap., provincial minister of the Capuchin Franciscan Friars of the Province of St. Mary, will celebrate a special Mass to dedicate the new statue at Our Lady of Peace Church. After Mass, attendees will have an opportunity to venerate a First Class Relic of St. Pio, brought from The Padre Pio Relic Shrine at the Church of St. John the Baptist in New York City.
Devlin credited Ellis for creating the shrine and shopping for the magnificent resin statue with glass eyes that was made in Italy and shipped when ready. The 55 pound statue is mounted on a marble base. A parishioner donated a second class St. Pio cloth relic, which has been placed near the statue and candles. Parishioners place fresh flowers near the statue to honor the saint each week.
“Our parishioners are very happy with the way the shrine turned out,” Devlin noted. “We invite everyone in the area who has a special devotion to St. Pio to come visit.”
Padre Pio, an Italian Franciscan friar, priest, and mystic, was canonized a saint in the Roman Catholic Church in 2002 by Pope John Paul II. Born Francesco Forgione, he was given the name of Pius when he joined the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and was noted for his charity and piety.
Several miracles are attributed to St. Pio, but perhaps the most famous of the miracles associated with Padre Pio was his stigmata. The saint bore the wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side, making him the first priest in history to bear the stigmata. Padre Pio manifested these divine wounds for 50 years, from 1918 until shortly before his death in 1968.
Our Lady of Peace Church, located at 200 Milmont Ave., in the Milmont Park section of Ridley Township, is approaching its 100th anniversary. The milestone will be comemorated with a year-long celebration in 2022, beginning with a special Mass on Jan. 9, celebrated by Most Reverend Bishop John McIntyre, Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia. Special events are being planned for the entire year, including a parish picnic at Father Nall Field in the spring, and a Corpus Christi Procession and Mass celebrated by Archbishop Nelson Perez on June 19.
For more information about OLP, visit http://wwwolpparish.org.