Mangaluru: Feast of Relic of St Anthony celebrated with solemnity

By Vincent Mascarenhas
Bellevision Media Network

Mangaluru, 16 Feb: Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza, the Emeritus Bishop of  the diocese of Mangaluru celebrated the Festal Eucharistic Celebration of feast of relic of St Anthony at Milagres parish grounds, here, on Friday, February 16 at 6.00pm.

 

Fr Cyril Lobo, the resident priest at St Lawrence Church, Bondel, here delivered the homily on the theme ‘Seek first the kingdom of heaven’.

 

In his homily, Fr Lobo said that those who live by the material wealth of this world live till the material world lasts. But those who put their trust in God and believe in Him live to eternity. Saint Anthony is one such person who lived according to the will of God and went about preaching the word of God and healing people in the name of Jesus. God in turn has preserved his tongue during the past nine centuries without being decayed. This is a great miracle God has done to Saint Anthony for the wonderful work he has done during his earthly life. Saint Anthony is a model and challenge to all of us to live a life that pleases God and serves the humanity.

 

 

Earlier during the day Fr Maxim D’Souza, the professor at St Joseph Seminary, Jeppu offered Holy Mass for the elderly at Milagres Church at 8.00am.

 

Monsignor Maxim Noronha, vicar general of Mangaluru diocese offered Mass for the inmates and invitees at 11.00am at Jeppu Ashram and at 4.30pm. Fr Joy Puthenveettil from the diocese of Alapuzha, Kerala offered Mass in Malyalam at Milagres Church.

 

Thousands of devotees participated in the festive celebration. Fr Onil D’Souza, the director of St Anthony’s Ashram, Jeppu thanked all those who toiled and donated to make the celebration successful.