A Catholic health care network inspired by the life and legacy of Saint Padre Pio looks poised to open the world's second Saint Pio Medical Center in Howell, Michigan, in 2026. The center will be operated by Catholic Healthcare International and will be based at a hospital campus on the town's Byron Road, pictured, which CHI have agreed to purchase from present owners, Trinity Health Livingston.
"Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the support of Bishop Earl Boyea and the people of the Diocese of Lansing, this is a significant development in fulfilling the call received from Saint Pio - to bring healing to the body, mind and spirit of those we serve," said the founder and president of Catholic Healthcare International, Jere Palazzolo, June 4.
"Saint Pio's model of healthcare provides, as Saint Pio stated himself, a 'Cathedral of Love to serve the twice Jesus in the poor and sick, a healing place where patients, doctors, and priests will serve as reserves of love'."
Trinity Health announced the agreement with Catholic Healthcare International in a news release issued Friday, May 31. Terms of the agreement remain confidential pending completion of the sale in summer 2026, according to the release. Trinity Health Michigan is constructing a replacement hospital in Brighton, set to open in 2026. The Byron Road hospital first opened in 1958 as The McPherson Community Health Center.
Founded in 2004, Catholic Healthcare International's apostolate is inspired by the 20th century Italian Capuchin friar Saint Padre Pio and, especially, his care for the sick and dying as practiced at his Home for the Relief of Suffering at San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, which was founded by the saint himself in 1956.
• To support the establishment of the Saint Pio Medical Center in Howell, go to www.CHI-USA.com/donate
• Additional reporting from Livingston Daily newspaper: https://www.livingstondaily.com/