The proposed sanctuary of Padre Pio in Cebu in central Visayas region of the Philippines. (Photo: YouTube/CBCP News)
Cebu Archdiocese in the Philippines has started construction of a 100-foot-tall statue of Padre Pio in a sanctuary dedicated to the popular Italian saint.
Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu led the groundbreaking ceremony for the sanctuary with the contemplative community of Padre Pio, a lay Catholic consecrated group in Cebu, on Sept. 17.
Titled the Santuario di Padre Pio in Pulangbato village, the sanctuary is being built on a hill overlooking the entire city of Cebu, says a report on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website.
The contemplative group, which promotes devotion to the saint in the country, said that the location choice was symbolic.
“It is symbolic that the sanctuary is the highest church located on the island that welcomed the early missionaries 500 years ago,” Joey Cagasero, a Padre Pio devotee from Cebu, told UCA News.
Christianity in the Philippines arrived in 1521 when Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his companions landed on the island in the Central Visayas region.
"We hope that millions if not thousands of devotees of Padre Pio would visit this place"
The natives of Cebu are believed to be the first group of Filipinos baptized.
Magellan planted a cross and gave an image of the Child Jesus (more popularly known as the Santo Nino) to Hara Amihan, the wife of the chieftain of the island.
Both the cross and the image of the Child Jesus were preserved on the island attracting more than a million devotees per year.
The archdiocese said construction of the sanctuary would end next year with the aim to make it a center for healing not just in the region but in the whole country.
“There would be healing Masses and confessions here. That’s our goal. We hope that millions if not thousands of devotees of Padre Pio would visit this place,” Cagasero added.
Cebu archbishop, Jose Palma, said it was his dream for the sanctuary to unite families especially since devotion to Padre Pio should bring every family closer to Christ.
"I hope the center will bring peace to every family”
“The world around us is in crisis, and many forces are working to destroy the Christian Family. There are those who are working to redefine marriage, and in so doing redefine the family according to their whims and desires … I hope the center will bring peace to every family,” Archbishop Palma said during the ground-breaking ceremony, referring to a divorce bill submitted in the Philippine parliament
“May Padre Pio inspire every Filipino to protect every family and to raise every child according to the teachings of the Gospel” the prelate added.
Filipinos pray to Padre Pio for sick family members as well as for safe journeys. Some couples have testified how their petition to have a child was interceded by the Italian saint.
Devotees have testified how their petitions were answered.
“We prayed for our then 8-month-old daughter to get well. She was very sick with pneumonia at that time. The doctors said there was a slim chance of her survival. We prayed to Padre Pio and she made it,” devotee Jason Israel told UCA News.
In 2018, Italian friars who brought the relic heart of Padre Pio to the Philippines were amazed at how thousands had queued to touch it.
“It was a great experience, very beautiful,” friar Giovannie Delle Carri told Church-run Radio Veritas in an interview.
Francesco Forgione, better known as Padre Pio or Saint Pius of Pietrelcina (1887-1968) was a Franciscan Capuchin priest and mystic known for his piety and charity.
He was famous for exhibiting his stigmata, the marks of bodily wounds, scars, and pains corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ.
Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1999 and canonized him in 2002.
