The Feast of the Translation of the Relic of the Saint, commonly called “The Feast of the Tongue”, which will be held on Sunday 14 February in our Basilica recalls an event which occurred 758 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.
This year, in compliance with anti-Covid norms, the traditional procession inside the Basilica of Saint Anthony at the end of the 6.00pm solemn Mass will be substituted by a specific rite in which the reliquary will be invoked and blessed.
The Main celebrations of the 2021 “Feast of the Tongue”:
8am (CET): Holy Mass broadcast by Radio Maria Italia, presided over by Fr. Andrea Vaona, Pro-Provincial Vicar, OFM Conv.
10am (CET): Holy Mass for subscribers of the Messenger of Saint Anthony, presided over by Fr. Fabio Scarsato, Editorial Director of the Messaggero sant’Antonio and of the Edizioni Messaggero Padova publishing house
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.
This is followed by invocations to the Tongue of St Anthony and the Blessing of the Saint’s Relic
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.