Letters from Pietrelcina, St. Pio’s hometown

Did you know that Julius Babao and his wife Tintin Bersola are devotees of St. Pio to whom they prayed for intercession to have a second child? Tintin was then having difficulty conceiving so she did a novena to the then Padre Pio. True enough, the couple had Antonio, described by Tintin as “an answered prayer.”

Oops! I’m getting ahead of the story.

The sketch done by Julius Babao while kneeling. He and wife Tintin Bersola traveled to Italy with fellow pilgrims via the Journeys of Faith agency.

As a gesture of deep gratitude, the couple pays St. Pio a visit every time they get a chance. Julius and Tintin have just come back from their third visit to Pietrelcina and other places where St. Pio spent most of his life. They were with fellow pilgrims from the Journeys of Faith travel agency.

Here are excerpts of the couple’s letters from Pietrelcina which they very gladly share with Funfare readers:

Dear Ricky,

First of all, our family would like to thank you for introducing us to St. Pio of Pietrelcina.

Unknown to many, we first came to know about The Philippine Center for St. Pio in Libis Quezon City through you. In one of our conversations, I remember you telling me, “Visit the St. Pio shrine in Libis.” And we did. Since then our family has become devotees of St. Pio.

Every year, we donate an image of Saint Pio to different parishes in honor of our children, especially Antonio Francesco our son, who is an answered prayer through our devotion to Saint Pio. This has become our Babao Family Catholic Tradition.

Just recently we went back to St. Pio’s hometown of San Giovanni Rotondo and Pietrelcina in Italy with pilgrims of Journeys of Faith Travel. It was off-season. It was terribly cold but it somehow benefited us because there were only a few tourists.

We were able to spend an unlimited time inside St. Pio’s crypt where his body lies.

It wasn’t our first time to visit San Giovanni. During our trips in 2009 and 2011 there were hundreds of tourists.

Having been to Pietrelcina and memorable places where St. Pio spent most of his life.

During a peak season, security would normally ask pilgrims to refrain from taking too much time inside the crypt. Many other pilgrims line up to pray and take photos.

This time it was different. We had Saint Pio to ourselves. We were able to pray, reflect and take photos of St. Pio without being stopped by security. It was perfect!

I was able to pray for my family and friends. I was able to share our experience with our social media followers.

His body is now back in the basement of the Santa Maria delle Grazie church, recently transferred there from the permanent crypt located in the newly built St. Pio church, just a few meters from Santa Maria delle Grazie, in preparation for the 50th anniversary of St. Pio’s stigmata and his 100th birth anniversary.

Pope Francis recently visited St. Pio’s tomb. It is a widely anticipated occasion and thousands of devotees were there.

A lot of people have been asking me if the body of St. Pio is incorruptible. Is the body still in the exact state when it was buried in 1968?

Though it may be true that this is St. Pio’s body, according to priests we spoke with in San Giovanni, his body and the skin on his face have been slightly restructured by experts.

As a true Catholic believer, it should not really make a difference because we do not pray to his earthly body.

We pray to St. Pio who is now in Heaven. I believe that God gave us St. Pio because He wants us to be closer to Him. He wants a representative that has lived in our generation.

Through St. Pio’s intercession, our prayers will be answered in God’s perfect time.

— Julius

Dear Ricky,

Julius and I returned to San Giovanni and Pietrelcina after our last visit six years ago in 2011. That time, I had just given birth to our son, Antonio Francesco, who we named after Saint Padre Pio whose real name is Francesco before he took on his priestly name, Brother Pio.

In 2009, during our first visit to San Giovanni Rotondo where Saint Pio spent much of his priestly life, I was 13 weeks pregnant with my son, a pregnancy that was an answered prayer through the nine-day novena I did in 2009 through the powerful intercession of Saint Padre Pio.

The bedroom where St. Pio was born

This third visit of ours was again special. First, because this year marks the 100th anniversary of Saint Pio’s stigmata, and his 50th death anniversary.

Another highlight of our visit to Saint Pio’s glass-encased tomb was when Julius did on-the-spot sketches of Saint Pio while on his knees.

In Pietrelcina, we revisited the home of Saint Padre Pio, the family’s austere kitchen and the very room and bed where he was born. I got emotional. Me as a mom, thinking of that miraculous moment when Giuseppa Forgone gave birth to little Francesco inside a very small and simple bedroom. Her son, who would become a young priest who bore the wounds of Christ, and become one of the greatest, most revered saints who lived in our time.

Our revisit to Saint Padre Pio was a personal journey of prayer and introspection, of giving thanks, of praying for more people who need prayers. We hope to be back someday soon.

— Tintin

Julius and Tintin acted as the pilgrims’ tour leaders (in background is the Santa Maria delle Grazie where St. Pio celebrated his Holy Masses, gave confessions and battled with the devil in front of the Crucifix at the choir loft).

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare. or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)