Media Release
Mangaluru, Feb 3: St Anthony’s Ashram Jeppu will be celebrating the feast in honour of the Relic of St Anthony, its patron saint on February 15. Bishop of Mangaluru Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza will be offering the main eucharistic celebration on Milagres Church grounds at 6 pm along with a large number of priests.
St Anthony was born in 1195 in Lisbon of Portugal. He served as priest in France and Italy. He lived a short life of 36 years. But during this short life of 36 years he performed a number of miracles due to which he is known as Saint of thirteen miracles. It is now almost 800 years since he died. But his tongue and vocal chords are still fresh without decay. They are preserved at St Anthony’s Basilica at Padua in Italy.
It is believed that it is a miracle God had done for him for the number of miracles he performed to redeem people of their difficulties. It is in honour of this, that the relic feast is being celebrated on February 15.
A nine day novena will be held in preparation of the feast starting from February 6. A decorated vehicle will carry St Anthony’s statue from St Anthony’s Ashram, Jeppu at 4.30 pm and reach Milagres Church via Kankanady- Falnir in procession. Thereafter Fr Walter D’Mello the associate judicial vicar of Mangaluru diocese will hoist the St Anthony’s flag at 5.45 pm at St Anthony’s Shrine Milagres followed by a Holy Mass and novena.
Special prayers will be conducted for different groups on nine days of the novena devotion. Monsignor Felix Noronha, vicar general of Shimoga diocese and well known singer will celebrate the mass in Kannada on February 14. Well known priests from different dioceses including priests from popular shrines like Our Lady of Health, Harihara and St Theresa Shrine, Mahe will also celebrate the Holy Eucharist and preach on the novena days. Scores of people are expected to participate in the novena devotion especially on the feast day.
Fr Onil D’Souza, director; Fr Francis D’Souza, administrator; Fr Peter Gonsalves, assistant director and Vincent Mascarenhas, the media convener were present.