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Prayers for Pope Francis from the Saint’s Basilica in Padua

From the Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua, the prayer for Pope Francis in these days is uniting the community of friars with so many faithful and pilgrims who, in great numbers, entrust the Holy Father to the Lord through the intercession of St. Anthony.

Every day, in the celebration of the Eucharist, we remember the Pope in a special way, addressing our heartfelt prayer to the Lord that the Church may have its Pastor back in health.

“Feast of the Tongue of the Saint” Sunday 16 February in the Basilica of St Anthony

The Feast of the Translation of the Saint’s Relics, commonly called the Feast of the Tongue, will be held on Sunday 16 February. This is the second, most important feast celebrating St Anthony after the June 13 feast, and marks the discovery of his uncorrupt tongue over 760 years ago, more than 30 years after his death. This scientifically inexplicable phenomenon is what faith calls a miracle, seeing that the relic of the tongue, the instruments used by St Anthony for preaching, is still visible and uncorrupt after many centuries.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

2024 CHRISTMAS SEASON IN THE SAINT’S BASILICA

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

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Prayers for Pope Francis from the Saint’s Basilica in Padua

“Feast of the Tongue of the Saint” Sunday 16 February in the Basilica of St Anthony

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

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