Feast of Relic of Saint Anthony celebrated in Fervor and Grandeur
Mangaluru: Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza, the Bishop of Mangalore along with Jo Jo Anand the Bishop of Hazaribagh Diocese, 40 number of priests celebrated the Holy Mass in honour of Relic of Saint Anthony at Milagres Church grounds.
The Relic (tongue) of Saint Anthony has remained incorrupt even after eight hundred years of his death. It is considered as a miracle. Saint Anthony lived in the 13th century. He was born in Lisbon of Portugal but he did his most of his ministry in France and Padua of Italy because of which he is known as St Anthony of Padua. During his thirty-six years of life, he preached and performed a number of miracles because of which he is known as Saint of thirteen miracles. He is specially invoked when articles are lost and his powerful intercession has helped scores of devotees to receive innumerable favours from God. Hundreds of devotees frequent the Shrine of St Anthony at Milagres Church and the Ashram at Jeppu to seek his intercession and all those who come to him never return empty handed.
Fr Andrew D’Souza, the Parish Priest of St Lawrence Church Bondel preached a homily highlighting the life of St Anthony and asked the people to emulate the Saint in making the right use of the faculty of speech that is given to us by God. He said, like Saint Anthony the faculty of speech has to be used to praise God, to speak well of others, to encourage others and not to hurt others by our speech.
During the day Fr William Barocas celebrated Holy Mass at 8.15 am for the elderly. Msgr Denis Moras Prabhu the Vicar General of the diocese along with a dozen priests celebrated Holy Eucharist for the inmates and special invitees at 11 am at Jeppu Ashram. Fr Jerome Chinganthara the Parish Priest of St Theresa Chruch Mahe celebrated Holy Mass in Malayalam.
At the end of the Holy Mass bread was distributed to all the devotees. 5000 people participated in the Holy Mass.
Submitted by Fr Onil-Director of St Anthony’s Charitable Institutions