New shrine to Padre Pio inaugurated and dedicated at St Kevin’s in Kilnamanagh

THE inauguration and blessing of a new shrine dedicated to Padre Pio – which includes a gauze stained with the saint’s blood – took place in St Kevin’s Church in Kilnamanagh recently.

Fr Bryan Shortall, who serves as the national promoter for the veneration of Padre Pio, was in attendance at the Mass and blessed both the shrine and the accompanying statue.

The shrine features a relic of stigmatist Padre Pio in the form of a piece of gauze stained with blood from his hand wounds.

Another feature of the shrine is a Padre Pio medal that was blessed by Pope John Paul II on the high altar of Saint Peter’s Basilica at the canonisation Mass of St Padre Pio in June 2002.

Fr Frank Drescher, the parish priest for Kilnamanagh-Castleview, told The Echo about the significance of the shrine and the response it has received from the community.

“It was a great occasion in the parish and there was very good attendance,” he said. “We’re blessed to have the statue and the relic.

“The piece is a piece from the gauze that was used to cover St Padre Pio’s hands, and it’s quite unique and quite special.

“People are delighted with it, and I saw a lot of people in the congregation on Sunday that I wouldn’t normally see in the church.

“My hope is that it will bring back people who do not attend Mass frequently, and this will give them a focal point that they can come to in the community and bring them back to the parish.”

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