Chapel is couple's way of giving thanks

Ernst Lamothe Jr. Staff writer

(August 9, 2006) — GATES — Olindo DiFrancesco had several health ailments and turned to prayer and spiritual guidance during tough times. As his faith grew, so did his love for an Italian saint, whose own personal stories of suffering helped him get through his pain.

"St. Padre Pio holds a special place in my heart," said Olindo DiFrancesco, 59, of Greece, who was born in Sicily. "He helped people and I know how popular he is to others, so I wanted to do something."

Olindo DiFrancesco and his wife, Filomena, are leading the drive to build a 5,000-square-foot chapel in Gates to honor the life and works of St. Padre Pio.

The chapel's land, located on Frank DiMino Way, was donated by the Italian American Community Center in Gates. Groundbreaking for the $2 million project is expected in September, with the couple putting up $100,000 of their own money. It is expected to be finished in the spring of 2007.

The 168-seat chapel with stained-glass windows will be a house of prayer with no baptism or formal Mass schedule.

Whenever the DiFrancescos get a chance to visit their homeland, they always make two stops: a hospital that St. Padre Pio helped build in San Giovanni Rotondo and a sanctuary that bears his name.

"Ever since I was a little girl, I loved and knew about St. Padre Pio," said Filomena, who was in charge of helping to create the chapel's look. "When we came to America, I thought we needed to do something special for him."

Olindo, too, said he always knew about the life of St. Padre Pio, but said working 18 hours a day in Italy as a truck driver left no time for him to focus on his faith.

While the couple arrived in the United States in 1966, the idea for a chapel didn't start taking form until two years ago.

"I always promised that I would do something for St. Padre Pio and I wanted to deliver on my promise," said Olindo, who has more than 10 pictures of the Italian saint scattered around his office wall.

The family's business, Olindo Food Services, has a store on Lyell Avenue.

"Olindo and Filomena have this dream and they are making it all happen," said Samuel A. Simone, board member of the St. Padre Pio Foundation of Rochester.