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January 31, 2016St. Anthony's Relics Visit in Houston
Father Mario Conte, OFM Conv, editor of the Messenger of St. Anthony monthly publication, will travel from the Pontifical Basilica in Padua Italy with two relics of the beloved saint. One relic is the floating rib of St. Anthony and the other reliquary contains layers of the saint’s skin. Pope Francis, when he was Bishop Bergoglio of Argentina, and Sister Lucia of Fatima, when the Friars visited her in Portugal in the 1990’s, both held the reliquary which contains the saint’s floating rib.- February 19 to 21 at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
- February 22 at Christ The Incarnate Word
- February 23 at The Shrine of the True Cross
- February 24 at St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica
- February 25 at the Catholic Charismatic Center
- February 26 at Annunciation Church
- February 27 at Our Lady of the Cedars Maronite Catholic Church
- February 28 at St. Anthony of Padua Church
St. Anthony died in 1231, and was buried in a little church outside the walls of the town of Padua. In 1263, his remains were transferred to the newly constructed Basilica. Present at this ceremony was St. Bonaventure in his role as Minister General of the Friars Minor. When St. Anthony’s coffin was opened in St. Bonaventure’s presence, bones and ashes were found. However, the Saint’s vocal apparatus was found to be intact, and in particular, his tongue was still red and soft. At the sight of the miracle, St. Bonaventure exclaimed in awe: “Oh blessed tongue, that ever praised the Lord, and led others to praise Him! Now it is clear how great are your merits before God!”
The word ‘relic’ comes from the Latin ‘reliquiae’, literally meaning ‘remains’. In the strict sense, they are in fact remains of canonized or beatified saints. In his address to the young on the occasion of the 20th World Youth Day in Cologne in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI said: “Relics direct us towards God himself: it is he who, by the power of his grace, grants to weak human beings the courage to bear witness to him before the world. By inviting us to venerate the mortal remains of the martyrs and saints, the Church does not forget that, in the end, these are indeed just human bones, but they are bones that belonged to individuals touched by the living power of God. The relics of the saints are traces of that invisible but real presence which sheds light upon the shadows of the world and reveals the Kingdom of Heaven in our midst. They cry out with us and for us: ‘Maranantha!’ – ‘Come, Lord Jesus!’”.