'People have deep faith': Exhibition of Padre Pio relics expected to draw thousands

Thousands of people are expected to view the relics of Padre Pio, a Catholic saint, during an exhibition next week at Saints Peter and Paul Church in Naperville.

Ron Frederick, a church member who helped organize the event, said about 4,000 people visited the Padre Pio relics when they appeared in 2018 at the church, located at 36 N. Ellsworth St. In their only Illinois appearance this year, the relics will be displayed from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Frederick said the relics of Francesco Forgione, an Italian priest known around the world as Padre Pio, are being provided by the Saint Pio Foundation and represent some of the most-cherished items among Catholic worshippers.

"People have deep faith," Frederick said. "And when we bring in things like the relics of Padre Pio, it helps them renew their faith."

Padre Pio, who died in 1968, was beatified in 1999 and canonized in 2002 by Pope John Paul II as a patron of the sick who is believed to have had healing powers.

In 1918, he began displaying stigmata wounds on his hands and feet. In the years that followed, Padre Pio became known by believers for his ability to interpret tongues and be in multiple locations at once.

The relics normally are kept in a golden crypt in the sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, next to the convent of San Giovanni Rotondo in Italy, a pilgrimage site.

The Padre Pio relics include the crusts of his wounds, cotton gauze with his blood stains, a lock of his hair, a handkerchief soaked with his sweat before he died and a piece of his mantle. Worshippers believe praying near or touching the relics will bring them closer to God through Padre Pio's intercession.

The relics will be displayed near the Saints Peter and Paul Church altar, with pews reserved for silent prayer. Devotional items will be available for purchase.

A mass honoring Padre Pio will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday. For more information, visit sspeterandpaul.net/events/padrepio.

"When people come through, I've seen them have tears in their eyes because of how emotional it is for them," Frederick said. "He's a very important person in our faith."