IRVING, Texas (Sept. 12, 2023) — The relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina will visit the University of Dallas on Sept. 20.

The Church of the Incarnation will be one stop on a national tour of the relics sponsored by the Saint Pio Foundation. In the Diocese of Dallas, the relics will be available for public veneration at All Saints Catholic Church on Monday, Divine Mercy of Our Lord Catholic Church on Tuesday and the Church of the Incarnation on Wednesday.

“We are indeed grateful to Bishop Edward Burns and Bishop Greg Kelly for inviting the Saint Pio Foundation to bring the relics of Padre Pio for the first time to the Diocese of Dallas,” said foundation founder and CEO Luciano Lamonarca. “The most important fact, in our opinion, is that the majority of those attending the tour of the relics of Padre Pio would never be able to travel to San Giovanni Rotondo or Pietrelcina to visit the places where our saint was born, lived and died. It has therefore become a mission for us to enable these faithful devotees to have a spiritual encounter with Padre Pio.”

The relics will be displayed from 9 to 11:45 a.m. and then from 1 to 4:30 p.m. in the Church of the Incarnation. A Mass in honor of St. Pio will be celebrated at 5 p.m.

Relics include the crusts of Fr. Pio’s wounds, cotton gauze bearing his blood stains, a lock of his hair, his handkerchief and a piece of his mantle.

“We give thanks to God for this beautiful opportunity for our students and community at the University of Dallas,” said University Chaplain Fr. James Martin Nobles, OP.

“So many of us grew up with a deep love for St. Padre Pio, and now we get to pray with his relics in our church. May this day be filled with exactly the graces that God wants us to receive. St. Padre Pio, pray for us.”

About the relics

In the Catholic Church, relics are physical objects associated with a saint or candidate for sainthood — part of the person’s body or something with which he or she was in contact. Relics are not worshiped but treated with religious respect. Touching or praying in the presence of such an object helps a faithful individual focus on the saint’s life and virtues, so that through the saint’s prayer or intercession before God, the individual will be drawn closer to God.

About the Saint Pio Foundation

Founded in 2014, the Saint Pio Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization that promotes the legacy and teachings of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, popularly known as Padre Pio. Among its most important initiatives is the tour of the relics of Padre Pio, which has visited more than 100 cities in the United States and abroad, and the “Panis Angelicus” initiative, which provides thousands of boxes of food for families in need through its two programs “A Margherita for a Smile” and “Christmas Challenge.”

About the University of Dallas

The University of Dallas is the premier Catholic liberal arts university in the country, known for its rigorous undergraduate Core Curriculum and robust graduate and professional programs in business, ministry, education and the humanities. With campuses in Texas and Italy, UD stands apart as a thriving community of lifelong learners committed to an education that forms students intellectually, socially and spiritually for a life well-lived. For more information, visit udallas.edu.