JAKARTA, Indonesia— Fresh from its elevation as an international shrine, the National Shrine of St. Padre Pio in Batangas province brought the Italian saint’s healing spirituality to Indonesia.
About 65 pilgrims from the International Shrine of St. Padre Pio in Santo Tomas, Batangas, led healing Masses, prayer services and fellowship gatherings in the nation’s capital of Jakarta on July 17 to 19.
The delegation was led by Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa and shrine rector Fr. Oscar Andal, together with priests, lay leaders and officials of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
The pilgrimage included Masses at Samadi in Kramat on July 17, St. Don Bosco Church in North Jakarta on July 18, and St. Francis of Assisi Church in Tebet, South Jakarta, on July 19.
The healing liturgies drew hundreds of Catholics for Mass, prayer and devotion to St. Padre Pio.
“We have come with grateful hearts and great enthusiasm to share and promote devotion to St. Padre Pio,” Andal said.
He said the shrine’s ministry already reaches Catholic communities in the Philippines, Guam, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand, with Indonesia marking its latest outreach in Asia.
During the visit, the delegation announced that the Holy See had granted the Batangas shrine the title of international shrine, making it one of the few Catholic shrines worldwide to receive the designation.
The formal celebration of the shrine’s new status is scheduled for Sept. 23, the feast of St. Padre Pio, at the Batangas shrine.
The delegation also invited Indonesian Catholics to attend the celebration, expressing hope it would strengthen ties between the Churches in the Philippines and Indonesia and deepen devotion to St. Padre Pio across the region.
