Chuck Furr, an ardent devotee of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, better known as Padre Pio, poses with a portion of his collection of books, relics and artifacts of the saint, including donation checks he endorsed. Furr inherited the items from his late uncle, William M. Carrigan, who first met the Italian Capuchin priest in 1943 when Carrigan was a field director for the American Red Cross in Italy during World War II. “Padre Pio’s spirituality had a profound affect” on his uncle, Furr said in a 2002 interview, the year of the priest’s canonization. “He dedicated his life to making Padre Pio known in the western world.” Furr is a parishioner of St. Anthony Parish in Kailua. (Photo courtesy of Easter Almuena)
