Visita Iglesia: National Shrine of Saint Padre Pio (Santo Tomas, Batangas)

I have been listening to podcasts about Padre Pio of Pietrelcina lately. What struck me is that Padre Pio seems to have existed in a plane beyond the physical realm. He saw angels and devils, he perceived the state of the souls of the people he met, and he was able to see the impact of human actions not only on his or her soul but also to others.

That’s why I am blessed that I was able to visit the National Shrine of Saint Padre Pio last year.

National Shrine of Saint Padre Pio in Santo Tomas, Batangas

The Shrine is a “rotunda” or round church architectural style that is made to look like a giant “salakot”, which is the conical hat worn by Filipino farmers. The Padre Pio Shrine has similar architectural style as UP Chapel and the Greenbelt Chapel.

Atop the roof is the statue of Mama Mary whom Padre Pio loves very much. It is said that the padre is so devoted to Mama Mary that he prays the rosary multiple times each day. There was a time when he admitted that he prayed the Rosary 34 times on that day! He considered the Rosary as his weapon in his spiritual battles.

A short distance from the Shrine is the bell tower with its own salakot.

The National Shrine of Saint Padre Pio began as a small chapel under the Santo Tomas Parish of Santo Tomas, Batangas. The chapel was elevated to a separate parish in 2003 to cater to the large number of Catholics in the area. The new parish was dedicated to Padre Pio because of the first-class relic of the saint received by the Archdiocese of Lipa for the creation of the said parish.

First-class relic and glove worn by Padre Pio.

It was further elevated into a national shrine as approved by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in 2015.

I was amazed by the shrine’s premises. The place has ample parking space for cars. Then aside from the main church there are other chapels and facilities. And, of course, the main church is huge!

The builders of this church rightly predicted that many would come to visit the church dedicated to Padre Pio. They made the church spacious enough so as to accommodate all the devotees and pilgrims coming to ask for Padre Pio’s intercession.

Hanging from the center ceiling of the church is the image of crucified Jesus being held by God the Father. It is an image that reminds us that the Father was also deeply affected by the sacrifice and death of His only Son.

Behind that image is the image of young Jesus with His earthly parents: Joseph and Mary.

These two images, which are connected by the cross, show the Divine and human nature of Jesus.

We were fortunate because there was a Holy Mass during our visit to the National Shrine of Padre Pio. It was a perfect time for us to receive graces from God during mass and also ask for Padre Pio’s intercession.

The altar of the National Shrine of Saint Padre Pio uses bamboo as the backdrop. At center is the crucified Jesus then at the sides is Mama Mary with baby Jesus, and Saint Joseph. Also standing at the altar is a statue of Padre Pio.

Our visit to the National Shrine of Saint Pedro Pio was one of our stops while on our way to a beach resort in Batangas. I am glad that our family decided to drop by and say “hello” to this holy servant of God. I am hoping that Padre Pio interceded for our family, not only for our temporal concerns but, more importantly, our spiritual concerns.

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Visita Iglesia is the Filipino tradition of visiting churches during the Holy Week. This virtual Visita Iglesia is my own tradition wherein I post about one church each day of the Holy Week.

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References

1. Faith in City of Sto. Tomas website

2. Padre Pio and the Madonna in Franciscan Media

3. Padre Pio Shrine in Wikipedia