Franciscan Father Mario Conte prays at the tomb of St. Anthony in Padua, Italy, where he will take intentions from parishioners in the Diocese of Charlotte. (Photos provided)
CHARLOTTE — Two holy relics of St. Anthony of Padua will make a dozen stops across the Diocese of Charlotte from Dec. 5 to 14, and the faithful are encouraged to come out, pray and learn more about one of the most beloved Catholic saints.
The two first-class relics will be accompanied by Fathers Mario Conte and Fabio Turrisendo, Franciscan friars from the Pontifical Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua, Italy, where St. Anthony is buried. The relics are fragments of St. Anthony’s skin and his floating rib.
The latter relic is particularly significant because of who has venerated it: Fatima visionary Sister Lucy in her convent in Coimbra in 1995 and then-Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pope Francis) in the Cathedral of Buenos Aires in 2000.
The relics were procured in 1981, the last time St. Anthony’s tomb was opened, Father Conte explained. He and the relics have been making stops around the world since 1995, the 800th anniversary of St. Anthony’s birth. Initially envisioned to be a one-year journey, requests continued to pour in long after the anniversary and have spurred visits to India, Singapore, Australia, England and the United States – and now to the Charlotte diocese.
The friars were invited to bring the relics here by a fellow Franciscan, Bishop Michael Martin. “We really wanted to go and see him, and he was so kind to invite us,” Father Conte said.
Wherever they visit, the relics draw crowds of people who feel a personal connection to the saint.
“People I meet across the world feel as if Anthony is a part of their family,” Father Conte said. “They can tell you concrete stories of how their mothers or grandmothers taught them his prayer and how they prayed to him when they were in danger, or when they lost something.”
Unlike visiting a museum, the faithful are encouraged by the friars to touch the relics in order to experience a physical connection to the saint. “It’s like meeting someone and giving your hand to them,” Father Conte explains. “This is an opportunity to meet the saint.”
In addition, visitors can place prayer intentions in envelopes that the friars will take back to St. Anthony’s tomb. They also will have prayer cards available in several languages.
But most of all, the faithful will have the opportunity to be in the presence of a saint many feel is a friend, to thank him for his help in the past, and to ask for his guidance.
As Father Turrisendo explains, St. Anthony’s assistance doesn’t stop at recovering physical objects. “There are many things that we can lose, and really the most important one is faith,” he said, noting that prayers for the loss of health or a job are common. “Don’t be content only because you find a letter or the glasses … ask him to find the very important things.”
— Trish M. Stukbauer
People venerating the relics of St. Anthony that will visit the diocese are encouraged to touch them to feel closer to the saint many already know and love.
What are relics?
A relic is a physical object that had a direct association with a saint or with Jesus. First-class relics are the body or fragments of the body of a saint. While not essential to our faith, relics are venerated by Catholics as a way to honor the saint’s inspiring way of life and bold faith.
— Catholic News Agency
Who is St. Anthony of Padua?
His life took a dramatic turn in 1220, when the remains of five Franciscan missionaries tortured and killed in Morocco reached his monastery. The young priest was filled with zeal to convert souls and become a martyr. After the Franciscans promised to send him to Morocco, he received the Franciscan habit and took the name Anthony. He set out for Africa but became ill and had to return to Italy, reaching Assisi, where Francis had summoned all his friars, in 1221. Whether or not the two future saints met, the event confirmed Anthony’s decision to follow the Franciscan way.
At an ordination in 1222, Anthony was asked to deliver a short homily that his superiors had dodged. That unexpected moment revealed his gift for words. The fiery speaker was tapped to be an itinerant preacher, inspiring and correcting people confused by the heresies of the day. According to one story, he grew so frustrated with those who refused to listen that he went to the river and preached to the fish instead.
The following year, Francis put Anthony in charge of theological training for friars in formation. At 32, Anthony was appointed superior of the Franciscan fraternities of northern Italy. He chose to reside in Padua, where he worked for the poor and against injustice.
There he preached a series of Lenten sermons in 1231 that drew crowds of 30,000. Exhausted by the effort and already ill, he retired to a small hut outside the city, where he had a vision of holding the Child Jesus – a moment often portrayed in his statues. He died soon after at age 36.
The following year, Pope Gregory IX declared him a saint.
So why do Catholics ask St. Anthony to find lost items? Tradition says Anthony had a book of psalms in which he kept his teaching notes.
An unhappy novice left the community and took Anthony’s psalter with him. After Anthony prayed for its return, the novice was moved to return to the order and bring back the book.
— Trish Stukbauer, Vatican News, St. Anthony Shrine
Masses and Veneration
Friday, Dec. 5
St. Eugene Church
72 Culvern St., Asheville
www.steugene.org
Masses: Noon and 6:30 p.m. (Spanish)
Saturday, Dec. 6
St. Lawrence Basilica
97 Haywood St., Asheville
www.saintlawrencebasilica.org
Mass: 11 a.m.
Veneration: Noon to 4 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 7
St. Matthew Church
8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte
www.stmatthewcatholic.org
Masses: 9 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 8
St. Mark Church
14740 Stumptown Road, Huntersville
www.stmarknc.org
Masses: Noon and 7 p.m. (Spanish)
Tuesday, Dec. 9
Our Lady of Lourdes Church
725 Deese St., Monroe
www.ourladymonroe.org
Masses: 12:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. (Bilingual)
Wednesday, Dec. 10
Immaculate Conception Church
208 Seventh Ave., Hendersonville
www.immaculateconceptionchurch.com
Masses: Noon and 6:30 p.m. (Spanish)
Thursday, Dec. 11
Our Lady of Mercy Church
1730 Link Road, Winston-Salem
www.ourladyofmercync.org
Masses: Noon and 6:30 p.m. (Spanish)
Friday, Dec. 12
Our Lady of Grace Church
2203 West Market St., Greensboro
www.olgchurch.org
Mass: 12:15 p.m.
St. Joseph Vietnamese Church
4929 Sandy Porter Road, Charlotte
Veneration: 4 p.m.
Mass: 6 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 13
Queen of the Apostles Church
503 North Main St., Belmont
www.queenoftheapostles.org
Masses: 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. (Spanish)
Sunday, Dec. 14
St. Mary’s Church
812 Duke St., Greensboro
www.stmarysgreensboro.org
Masses in parish center, veneration in original church all day
English: 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m.
Spanish: 7 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 4:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.
Holy Family Vietnamese Community
4112 Romaine St., Greensboro
www.stmarysgreensboro.org
Masses: Vietnamese: 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Veneration: One hour before and after Mass at each location except for other times as noted above.