Diocese of Bridgeport holds novena to Padre Pio

The Diocese of Bridgeport held a novena to St. Pio of Pietrelcina, drawing hundreds of people to St. Augustine Cathedral. During the fourth day of the novena, faithful gathered to venerate five relics of the saint, which included a piece of his mantle, a lock of his hair, a handkerchief he used during Mass, a crust from his wounds, and his brown fingerless glove.

Attendees shared personal accounts of devotion and intercession. Esther Rivera, a parishioner of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Bridgeport, described seeing visions of the saint while praying in her parish's adoration chapel. Lynn French, a parishioner of Blessed Michael McGivney Parish in New Haven, attended with her husband and described the saint as an inspiration to their marriage.