Amongst all the Saints of the Catholic Church, St. Anthony is venerated as the gentlest and the kindest of them all due to his burning love for God and his exalted virtues. Born and raised up by a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal, on 15th August 1195, St. Anthony was a Roman Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. He was known as the patron Saint of the poor, of sailors and fishermen, of priests and travellers, of lost things, a protector and guardian of the mails and a wonder-worker. He is also the patron saint of amputees, animals, elderly people, pregnant women and many, many more. As one of the most popular Catholic Saints, St. Anthony is well-known and well-loved all over the world. He performed many miracles in his life but due to a serious illness, he died at a young age of 36, on 13th June 1231 in Padua, Italy. Because of the numerous miracles performed in his life, within a year, the Church declared him a Saint and his feast is celebrated on the day of his death i.e. 13th June. People all over the world flock to St. Anthony to seek favours and he seldom disappoints.
We at Aquem are fortunate to have started the devotion to St. Anthony in our Tolebando Chapel since the year 2008. Our past Vicar, Fr. James Torres è Silva, was instrumental in transferring the main Statue from the Church to the Chapel. From the initial years itself, devotees from far and near have joined our Aquem parishioners, to partake in the 13 days Trezen from 1st of June, culminating in the grand feast on 13th June. The number of people attending the liturgical services have been increasing every year, so much so, that the Pandal erected in the Chapel compound, requires extension to cover the internal road and the compound of the neighbours, who have been kind enough to permit the same. People have a lot of faith in the powers of St. Anthony and therefore seek favours for themselves and their loved ones. I am fortunate to be associated with this devotion since its inception and I am thankful to St. Anthony for all the favours obtained through his intercession for me and my family members. Due to my personal involvement in the Trezen / Feast and also the First Tuesday prayer service held at the Chapel, every first Tuesday of every month, I have been able to listen to many personal requests to pray and raise our prayers towards gift of a child, finding lost cash, jewelry and other articles, curing of the sick from serious sicknesses like cancer, serious injuries due to accidents, family disputes and so on. Together as one family we have prayed for ourselves and for each other, with these intentions in mind. I can happily state that most of the people have been blessed and their favours granted through the intercession of St. Anthony. Many of our brethren have come back to inform us that their favours have been granted which is a testimony to the powers of St. Anthony. Many couples have also given a written testimony after being blessed with a gift of a child.
Let us continue this devotion with renewed vigour and seek the holy intercession of St. Anthony to obtain for us the several favours which we are desperately in need of. I can confidently state that St. Anthony will not disappoint and the favours will definitely be granted through his powerful intercession and tender compassion.
Let us therefore thankfully proclaim the miraculous power of St. Anthony and beseech him to protect us all the days of our life.
Felix Dias