National Centre for Padre Pio

The National Centre for Padre Pio is a 106-acre pilgrimage campus in Barto, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Vera and Harry Calandra, devout Catholics from Norristown, PA, after their daughter Vera Marie was miraculously healed by Padre Pio during an audience in Italy in 1968. In gratitude, they devoted their lives to continuing his work in America, a promise carried on today by their daughters and grandchildren. The Centre houses relics of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, a museum with full-size replicas recreating significant sites from his life, from boyhood through priesthood to sainthood, and the Our Lady of Grace chapel, an exact replica of the chapel where Padre Pio celebrated Mass daily. Visitors can take part in guided tours, Confession, Eucharistic Adoration, and quiet prayer across the grounds, and the Centre hosts school groups, parish groups, retreats, and Masses. Our mission is to lead souls to God through the example of Padre Pio, the first priest in history to bear the stigmata.