Devotees of Saint Padre Pio from St. Leonard Church held the 7th annual procession on Sunday afternoon in honor of the relatively new saint. The statue of St. Pio was carried after an Italian Mass and walked through the neighborhood streets where devotees pinned donations on ribbons. The procession was accompanied by the North End Marching Band.
St. Padre Pio was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002. Pius of Pietrelcina (1887-1968) was a Capuchin Catholic priest from Italy, born as Francesco Forgione and given the name Pius (Italian: Pio) when he joined the Capuchins, thus known popularly as Padre Pio. He became famous for bearing the stigmata.
