Christmas 2018

This is the schedule of liturgical celebrations during Christmas and the New Year at the Basilica of St Anthony in Padua, Italy, which may be followed live by connecting to our web page. In this way we are bringing St Anthony’s voice directly to the houses of those devotees (in Italy and throughout the world) who cannot come to Padua.

Every Sunday at 11:00 am

24 December – Christmas Eve

Christmas 2018

Heartfelt wishes to all the friends of the Great Family of Saint Anthony. Through St. Anthony we enter into the deep mystery of Christmas: that small child the Saint holds in his arms is the gift that God makes to “those he loves”.

It is a moving thing to behold this ‘gaze’ of God on all of us, a God who has not come to condemn or frighten us, but to remind us of just how much we are loved, sought after and desired by him.

The very first Nativity was created by Saint Francis of Assisi. He was inspired to recreate the birth of the baby Jesus after visiting the grotto where Jesus was born in the Holy Land.

From that first simple and humble display in an Italian cave, Francis’s Nativity is now a symbol of Christmas and we're sure you couldn’t imagine Christmas without the Nativity scene in your home or in your local church.