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27 January – Holocaust Memorial Day

January 27 is the day when, in 1945, at the end of World War II, the Red Army tore down the gates of Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Sixty years later, in 2005, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, which has since been remembered every January 27, with the hope that those atrocities will never happen again.

The Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua will join in celebrating Sunday of the Word of God on 26 January. This initiative was spearheaded by Pope Francis in his effort to place the Holy Scriptures at the centre of life along with the Eucharist.

The celebration in the Basilica at 11.00am will include a special ritual: the enthronement and the incensing of the Gospel. Moreover, during the whole celebration in the presbytery, the Gospel will remain exposed.

This year marks the 1,700th anniversary of the first Christian Ecumenical Council, held in Nicaea, near Constantinople in 325 AD. This commemoration provides a unique opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the common faith of Christians, as expressed in the Creed formulated during this Council; a faith that remains alive and fruitful in our days. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2025 offers an invitation to draw on this shared heritage and to enter more deeply into the faith that unites all Christians.

From 16 to 24 December
Christmas Novena

6:00pm: Novena Holy Mass presided over by Father Alessandro Olindo Bosio OFM Conv.

24 December
Christmas Eve

Friday 29 November to Saturday 7 December

Immaculate Conception Novena

- 6 p.m.: Holy Mass with Marian meditation. Fr. Daniel Fechetă presides.

8 December

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

- 11.00 a.m.: Holy Mass, presided by the Rector of the Basilica, Fr. Antonio Ramina.

In September 1224, Friar Francis of Assisi, together with his trusted brother Leo, retired to Mount La Verna to spend a period of prayer and penance. It was a time of crisis due to disagreements within the Order, and through prayer and fasting Francis wished to find confirmation of his desire to identify himself totally with Christ.

On September 17, 1224, on that sacred mountain, the Crucifix imprinted on Francis' heart and body the signs of the stigmata.

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27 January – Holocaust Memorial Day

Sunday of the Word of God, on 26 January a celebration for the Bible

From 18 to 25 January the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity”

2024 CHRISTMAS SEASON IN THE SAINT’S BASILICA

Novena and Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception 2024

800 years ago St. Francis received the stigmata, a sign of Christ’s love

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