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Relics of St. Anthony to visit parishes in Butler, Paterson
June 8 - June 11
St. Anthony of Padua will visit the Paterson Diocese in the form of two precious and first-class relics from the Pontifical Basilica in Padua, Italy with stops at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Butler on Saturday, June 8, and St. Bonaventure Church in Paterson on Tuesday, June 11.
During the visits, Franciscan Friars of Padua, Italy will display two relics — fragments of St. Anthony’s facial skin and his floating rib. The relic of the floating rib has special significance for the friars of Padua because it was venerated by Lucy of Fatima in her convent in Coimbra in 1995, and by then-Archbishop Jorge Maria Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, in the Cathedral of Buenos Aires in 2000.
Father Mario Conte and Father Alessandro Ratti, two Franciscan Friars from Padua, where the saint is buried, will accompany the relics as part of a tour. Both parishes that will host the relics, St. Anthony’s and St. Bonaventure’s, are run by Franciscans of Holy Name Province.
St. Anthony was a powerful Franciscan preacher and teacher. He is known as the finder of lost things. People can visit to ask St. Anthony’s intercession for more than the loss of material things, as well as a loss of faith, family harmony, health, hope, peace of mind, and trust in others.
The June 8 visit to St. Anthony’s includes 5 p.m. Mass and veneration from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The June 11 visit to St. Bonaventure includes veneration from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Mass and novena at 11:30 a.m., veneration from noon to 1:30 p.m. and again from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.; and a prayer service and blessing of relics at 6:30 p.m.
During the visits, prayer petitions and holy cards will be distributed to allow the faithful to write their prayer request to the saint. The Friars will collect and bring the petitions back to the Basilica in Padua and place them at the tomb of St. Anthony. The tour ends back at the tomb of St. Anthony where the Friars will gather to pray for the saint’s intercession upon intentions and petitions.