Catholics in Boston flocked to venerate the heart of St Padre Pio last week, the only major relic of the saint to leave Italy.
It was brought to the Boston metro area by the Capuchin friars who run the Shrine of St Padre Pio in the saint's hometown of San Giovanni Rotondo in southern Italy.
Padre Pio, who was born in 1887 and died in 1968, was canonised in 2002. The Capuchin friar was popular as a miracle worker and known particularly for the long hours he would spend hearing confessions.
Virginia Fierro met St Padre Pio back when she was 14 and still living in Italy, and on September 21, she had the chance to venerate his heart in the Boston Archdiocese.
