You may never have heard of Shia LeBeouf, but he's known in filmdom and is quite a popular name among those who've seen his work in Disturbia and in the Transformers series as Sam Witwicky, its main protagonist. But Shia, whose life has been somewhat tumultuous, experienced a conversion and became fascinated with the figure of our brother Pio of Pietrelcina. He spent some time with our confreres in the California Province and one of their brothers, Alexander Rodriguez, OFM Cap., is now serving as his companion in Italy as he takes on the role of Pio in a movie currrently being filmed near San Giovanni Rotondo and in Pietrelcina.
Our brother Hai Ho, OFM Cap., one of the councilors of the Province who lives in San Francisco, posted another movie update with photos of Shia and the friars. In an article online, he explained that Shia and Alex say “there have been many unexpected blessings” while filming. Alex even plays a role in the movie. Shia and the friars visited Padre Pio’s residence in San Giovanni Rotondo. Hai added that Shia went on a pilgrimage to Assisi and Loreto during their visit. Their visit to the General Curia an our Minister General sparked Hai's note.
