Mangaluru: The feast in honour of the Relic of Saint Anthony will be celebrated on February 15. In preparation for the feast, the nine days Novena will begin on February 6. The inauguration will be done by hoisting the Saint Anthony’s Shrine flag at Our Lady of Miracles Church, Milagres. Rev. Fr. Franklin D’Souza, Director of the Family Counselling Centre, Shivamogga, will hoist the flag and celebrate the inaugural Mass at Milagres Church. Before hoisting the flag, a vehicle rally will be held at 4 PM, wherein a decorated statue of Saint Anthony will be taken in a procession from the Saint Anthony’s Ashram, Jeppu to Milagres Church via Kankanady circle, Falnir road.
The nine days of Novena are dedicated for different groups of people like youth, children, married people, sick, elderly, religious, leaders etc. Special prayers will be offered for these various groups of people. Renowned priests are invited to celebrate the Holy Mass and preach the homily on the theme marked according to the group dedicated for the day. The choir groups from nine different parishes will lead the singing for the nine days of Novena.
The main festive Holy Mass will be celebrated by Most Rev. Dr. Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Bishop of the Mangalore Diocese, on February 15 at 6 PM at the Milagres Church ground. A Holy Mass in Malayalam will be celebrated by Most Rev. Dr. Varghese Chakkalakal, Bishop of Calicut at 4.30 PM at Milagres Church. For the sake of the sick and elderly, a Holy Mass will be offered by Very Rev. Dr. Pius D’Souza, Episcopal Vicar for the Religious at 8.15 AM at Milagres Church. Rt. Rev. Msgr. Denis Moras Prabhu, the Vicar General of the diocese will offer Holy Mass at 11 AM at St. Anthony’s Ashram, Jeppu for the invitees and special invitees.
The tongue of Saint Anthony, who lived in the thirteenth century, is still fresh and kept at Padua in Italy where he did most of his pastoral ministry. Saint Anthony is revered all over the world and is invoked specially to find lost articles.
Fr. Onil D’Souza, the director of the Institutes, Fr. Francis D’Souza, the administrator and Vincent Mascarenhas, the diocesan media secretary were present at the press meet.
