On January 23, the parish community of Saints Peter and Paul in Ruwi, Muscat, Oman, solemnly welcomed a relic of St. Pio of Pietrelcina. The relic consists of a fragment of a blood-stained bandage that once covered the wound of the stigmata he bore.

St. Pio, widely known as Padre Pio, is the patron saint of the Filipino community at Ruwi Parish. From 2024 onwards, the community felt the importance of celebrating the Feast of St. Pio as its Annual Community Feast. In the Philippines, St. Padre Pio is deeply revered as a saint of healing, prayer, and spiritual renewal, and many faithful continue to seek his intercession.

Saints Peter and Paul Church embraced this growing devotion. Every Saturday, the Novena to St. Padre Pio is prayed after the morning Mass, followed by anointing.

Over time, many faithful expressed the desire for a tangible sign of the presence of St. Padre Pio within the parish community. On behalf of the Filipino community, the parish priest, Fr. Stephen Lewis, together with their spiritual director, Fr. Jesse Tejero, requested Bishop Paolo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, for a relic of the Capuchin saint.

Following the completion of the official ecclesiastical process, the relic was entrusted to Fr. Stephen on October 14, 2025, and was solemnly presented to the community on January 23, 2026. The celebration began with a solemn procession, followed by the Holy Mass presided over by Fr. Stephen and concelebrated with Fr. Jesse and Fr. Sebin, assistant priests.

In his homily, Fr. Stephen reflected on the significance of welcoming the relic into the life of the parish. He recalled how Padre Pio lived a life of radical discipleship, marked by intense prayer, deep love for the Eucharist, and tireless service to others. Padre Pio dedicated long hours each day to the ministry of reconciliation, offering spiritual guidance and exercising the gift of discerning consciences. He also founded the “House for the Relief of Suffering” to care for the sick and the suffering.

Fr. Stephen further highlighted Padre Pio’s profound obedience to his superiors and his faithful living of the Capuchin vows in a spirit of detachment. He endured great suffering throughout his life, including bearing the stigmata for fifty years, facing spiritual trials and misunderstanding, even within the Church, all of which he accepted as part of his journey of spiritual growth.

“The relic,” Fr. Stephen explained, “is a tangible link to Padre Pio—his holiness, his suffering, and the mystery of the stigmata. It invites the faithful to prayer, veneration, and trust in his intercession, strengthening our spiritual communion with the saint.”

At the conclusion of the Mass, the faithful took part in an act of veneration of the relic, approaching to kiss it in prayer and reverence.