Mangaluru: 9-day novena in preparation for Feast of Relic of St Anthony to begin on Feb 6

Bellevision Media Network

Mangaluru, 05 Feb: The feast in honor of Relic of Saint Anthony will be celebrated on February 15. In preparation for the feast 9-day Novena begins on Thursday, February 6.

 

The inauguration will be done by hoisting Saint Anthony’s Shrine flag at Our Lady of Miracles Church, Milagres, here.

 

Fr Dr Ronald Serrao, the rector, St Joseph Seminary will hoist the flag and celebrate the inaugural Mass at Milagres Church.

 

 

Before hoisting the flag a vehicle rally will be held wherein decorated Saint Anthony’s Statue will be taken in procession from St Anthony’s Ashram, Jeppu to Milagres Church via Kankanady circle and Falnir road.

 

The theme of nine-day Novena is based on ‘Life a gift of God-to be nurtured and protected.’

 

Renowned priests are invited to celebrate Holy Mass and deliver homily on the theme.

 

Special prayers will be offered for various groups of people on the novena days. The choir groups from nine different parishes will lead the singing on nine days of Novena.

 

The main festal Holy Mass will be celebrated by Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza, the bishop Emeritus of Mangalore diocese at Milagres Church grounds, here on February 15 at 6.00pm.

 

A Holy Mass in Malayalam will be celebrated by Fr Alexander Kalarikkal, Professor at St Joseph Inter-Diocesan Seminary, Jeppu at 4.30pm at Milagres Church.

 

For the sake of sick and elderly a Holy Mass will be offered by Fr Boniface Pinto, Professor, St Joseph Seminary, Jeppu at 8.15am at Milagres Church.

 

Fr Walter Mendonca, parish priest of St Anthony Church, Sastan, Udupi will offer Holy Mass at 11.00am at Jeppu Ashram for the 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 is invoked specially to find the lost articles.

 

On the eve of feast that is on February 14, after the Holy Mass a Konkani skit, ‘Bair Podello Bhavart Patidita’ (lost faith returns) will be staged at Milagres Church grounds. It’s of 15-minutes duration by playwright and director Vincent Fernandes of ‘Mogachi Lahra’ fame, as stated in the media release issued by Fr Onil D’Souza, director of St Anthony’s Charitable Institutions, Jeppu, here.