The holy relics of Saint Anthony of Padua will have their second visit to the Philippines from April 20 to May 2.
The opening Mass will be held at the Shrine of Saint Therese in Newport, Pasay City, at 8 a.m. on April 20. Fr. Mario Conte, executive editor of the Messenger of Saint Anthony magazine, will bring two precious relics of the saint from the Basilica in Padua, Italy, the online site Sanantonio.org said.
One of these reliquaries contains the saint’s floating rib. This is the very same reliquary that was used by then-Archbishop Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, to bless the faithful after the solemn Mass at the Catedral Metropolitana in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on April 30, 2000.
The same reliquary had been kissed five years earlier by Sister Lucia of Fatima when it was taken to the nuns at the Monastery of Carmelite sisters in Coimbra, Portugal, in January 1995, during the commemorations for the 800th anniversary of the saint’s birth.
The other reliquary contains layers of the saint’s skin.
The relics were in the Philippines in February 1996, exactly 20 years ago, in conjunction with the 800th centenary of his birth, Sanantonio.org said.
“Our saint has, therefore, decided to come from April 20 to May 2 this year in the form of two relics.”
According to Father Conte, a Franciscan friar from Padua, Italy, where the saint is buried, “There is nothing superstitious about relics. The real meaning of a relic is love—they are a link of love between the person who venerates and the saint.” At least one Mass will be celebrated in each venue listed below, with ample time set aside for veneration.
- April 20 (morning): The Shrine of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, Newport Boulevard, Pasay, Metro Manila; (afternoon): Saint Anthony de Padua Parish, Valley 1, Parañaque City;
- April 21 (morning): Saint Anthony of Padua Parish, Singalong, Manila; (afternoon): San Lazaro Chapel (for the sick and hospital patients) Santa Cruz;
- April 22 (morning): San Augustin Parish; Moonwalk, Parañaque City; (noon): Makati Medical Center (for doctors, medical staff and the sick); Makati City; (afternoon): National Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Makati City;
- April 23 (morning): Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, Mandaluyong City; (afternoon): Saint Anthony Parish, Silang, Cavite;
- April 24 (morning): Saint Joseph Formation House, Tagaytay City;
- April 25 (morning): Archdiocese of Palo; (afternoon): Saint Anthony Shrine Parish, Sulangan, Guiuan, Eastern Samar;
- April 26 (afternoon): Saint Anthony of Padua Friary, Dolores, Eastern Samar;
- April 28 (morning): Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe Parish, Novaliches, Quezon City;
- April 29 (morning): Saint Anthony of Padua Parish, Batasan Hills, Quezon City; (afternoon): San Francisco de Assisi Parish, Binangonan, Rizal;
- April 30 (morning): Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, Antipolo City, Rizal; (afternoon): Saint Anthony de Padua Shrine, Pila, Laguna;
- May 1: San Antonio de Padua Parish, Tonsuya, Malabon; Immaculate Concepcion Parish, Concepcion, Malabon (Diocese of Kalookan);
- May 2 (morning): San Juan City of the Archdiocese of Manila; (afternoon): (concluding Mass) Saint Ezekiel Monero Oratory (Diocese of Parañaque).
Saint Anthony of Padua was born into a wealthy Lisbon, Portugal, family in 1195. The much-loved 13th-century friar was one of the earliest members of the Franciscan Order, which was founded in 1209.
Noted for his preaching and expert knowledge of Scripture, he was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1946. He is the patron saint of lost things, barren women, sailors, the poor and travelers.
In his writings, Saint Anthony often speaks of mercy, describing God as the “Father of Mercy.”
Francis devotion to Saint Anthony was due to the saint’s love, care and concern for the poor and marginalized.
The pope has made mercy one of the primary focuses of his papacy, and the Jubilee Year of Mercy is a special period of universal pardon, emphasizing God’s forgiveness and mercy. When Pope Francis was Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, he led a procession through the streets of the Argentinian capital in 2000—when the country was experiencing an economic downturn—carrying a reliquary containing a relic of Saint Anthony of Padua with a piece of his floating rib. He died at 36 years old in Padua, Italy, in 1231, and was canonized within a year. His remains are kept in the Pontifical Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua, Italy.
Upon exhumation some 336 years after his death, his body was found to be corrupted, yet his tongue was totally incorrupt, the Catholic.org said.
1 comment
AURAPHIL thanks for sharing. Kindly view the St. Anthony Shrine by the
Sea in Sulangan Island, Eastern Samar. god bless!! https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c9acd04c93783e9d6da74adbf52157b8ebb60dc60117b37c0e2af0b93af2ec5b.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/059b72509bfec90b2fc0beeb65bf38b4e2bcec095b2eb3e9f9b00eee7d2e5239.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e01cdf1df8bd8c937dce6f047dbebd3f8cae8a17fd08778dea1c9e357b34d369.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9425857c86f991f8c026da1c35b7ba865e5fc3b1d0ff1f594b1baffdd19a90e4.jpg