13th June is dedicated to St. Anthony, a Franciscan Friar, born on 15th August 1195 and raised by a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal. He died in Italy on 13th June 1231, at a young age. St. Anthony was known for his powerful preaching, deep knowledge of scriptures and his special devotion to the poor and the sick. He was also one of the most quickly canonized saints in the history of the Catholic Church and was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church on January 16th 1946. Perhaps best known as the patron Saint of lost things, St. Anthony is venerated the world over, and is credited with many miracles involving lost items, lost belongings, lost people and lost spiritual goods.
St. Anthony of course, relates to the poor and with migrants and refugees because he himself was a migrant, having been born in Lisbon, but ended up in Italy. In short, all sorts of people have a deep connection to this great Saint.
At many places, the world over, relics of St. Anthony draw large crowds of devotees, to venerate and seek favours. It is evident how deeply many people feel connected to St. Anthony. I recollect a couple of years back, a similar relic was brought to Padre Pio Minor Seminary, Modi, Navelim. People from all over Salcete, and of all faiths, thronged to Navelim to have a glimpse of the relic and venerate it. There were serpentine queues and people patiently walked for over four hours to touch the relic of their favourite St. Anthony. It was a public manifestation of People’s true faith. May this faith continue to grow in leaps and bounds and above all may the devotion to St. Anthony, have a manifold rise, the world over.

Felix Dias