The Feast of the Translation of the Relic of the Saint, commonly called “The Feast of the Tongue”, which will be held on Sunday 19 February in our Basilica recalls an event which occurred 760 years ago in St. Anthony’s most holy site: the chapel which guarded our beloved Anthony’s mortal remains.
On 8 April 1263, among the amazement of Padua’s citizens, Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, Minister General of the Franciscans, during the examination of the Saint’s mortal remains, found Anthony’s tongue incorrupt despite the fact that the Saint had passed away over 30 years previously. This phenomenon remains inexplicable to science, and it is therefore accepted as a miracle by faith, seeing that the tongue, the instrument the Saint used during his preaching, remains incorrupt to this very day after all these centuries. The Tongue is held in a special reliquary in the Chapel of Relics.
The Main celebrations of the 2023 “Feast of the Tongue”:
10am (CET): Holy Mass for subscribers of the Messenger of Saint Anthony, presided over by Fr. Massimiliano Patassini, Editorial Director of the Messaggero sant’Antonio and of the Edizioni Messaggero Padova publishing house. This Mass is dedicated to subscribers of all the editions of the monthly magazine.
11am (CET): Solemn Holy Mass presided over by His Eminence Fabio Dal Cin, Archbishop Prelate of Loreto and Pontifical Delegate of the Basilica of Saint Anthony, Padua.
6pm (CET): Sung Holy Mass presided over by Fr. Roberto Brandinelli, Vicar Provincial OFM Conv. At the end of the Mass the traditional procession will be held inside the Basilica with the invocation and blessing of the holy relic of Saint Anthony.
The Holy Masses of 11am and 6pm will be live streamed on our web and social sites and animated by Basilica’s Music Chapel.
WEB AND SOCIAL LIVE STREAMING
⇒ Via this site Santantonio.org – click here.
⇒ Via Facebook by connecting to the page “Saint Anthony of Padua – The friars of the Basilica” – click here.
⇒ Via YouTube by connecting to the channel “Messenger of Saint Anthony” – click here.