(Detroit Catholic) – On a 40-acre plot of land in Howell, in the Diocese of Lansing, stands the humble foundation for the establishment of a worldwide network of health care facilities that St. Pio of Pietrelcina set in motion nearly 70 years ago.
In 1956, the saint better known as Padre Pio founded “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza,” or the “Home for the Relief of Suffering,” in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. The Casa is a world-renowned Catholic international research hospital serving the poor and destitute, and today houses up to 1,000 patients.
Of everything he did on earth, Padre Pio once said, this was the most important. It was his dream the project would one day expand and reach other parts of the world. That day has now come.
Thanks to the vision, faithfulness and tenacity of several Catholic health care organizations, individuals and the patronage of Lansing Bishop Earl Boyea, the Howell project, known as “Casa USA,” seeks to duplicate St. Pio’s hospital complex for the first time outside of Italy, including an exact replica of the great Capuchin saint’s original friary church. CONTINUE