Interview in L’Osservatore Romano with Father Ramina, rector of the basilica, the vacation spot of thousands and thousands of pilgrims: “There are common individuals who might be dedicated to the Saint. He conquers so many individuals as a result of he is aware of welcome and take heed to everybody, excluding nobody.”
Alvise Sperandio – Vatican Metropolis
Thousands and thousands of individuals flock to the tomb of St. Anthony of Padua yearly, coming as much as pray and contact the tombstone. And on June 13, a liturgical reminiscence devoted to him (the anniversary of his dying), the pilgrimage is ceaselessly renewed with 1000’s of visits from nightfall to nightfall on one of many brightest days of the 12 months. Antonio (Lisbon, 1195 – Padua, 1231), Franciscan priest and Physician of the Church canonized in 1232, he is among the most beloved saints on the earth, “the Saint” par excellence, simply as Padua is acknowledged within the assimilation as “metropolis of the Saints.” Within the pontifical basilica, ruled for 3 years by Father Antonio Ramina, a 54-year-old Vincentian, of the Franciscan order of Friars Minor, all the things is prepared for the occasion, anticipating the celebration of the “Tredicina” (the three eleven earlier than Tuesday). Tomorrow this system might be intense: within the morning, there might be mass with the pontifical delegate, Archbishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli, and the bishop of Padua, Claudio Cipolla; within the night, that of the minister of the province of the Accomplice Friars Minor, Father Roberto Brandinelli, adopted by the solemn procession by means of the streets of the town stuffed with devoted following the picket statue and the stays of the saint.
Father Ramina, who’s Antonio to you?
It was not a direct discovery. I entered the convent extra impressed by the determine of St. Francis than by anything. I made the acquaintance of St. Anthony, who, as we all know, knew Poverello Assisi as the unique interpreter of Franciscanism. He actually me for 2 causes: his love for the phrase of God, with an awesome emphasis on silence, meditation and prayer, and the extraordinary energy of his preaching at all times in favor of the poor.
Why is that this saint so revered?
It’s a little bit of a thriller: there are lots of “good” saints who’re near folks. I feel San Antonio conquers so many individuals as a result of it is aware of welcome and take heed to everybody, with out excluding anybody. And since it transmits to everybody the emotional side of religion.
Who’re the devotees of Saint Anthony of Padua?
It’s a common folks: there are women and men, younger and outdated, wealthy and poor, sick and wholesome, folks with excessive qualities or not. Not essentially religiously, quite the opposite. The brothers who guard the basilica see how everybody actually goes in the direction of his tomb as a result of there aren’t any boundaries or variations in his calling.
What are folks searching for in San Antonio?
Above all consolation and assist. Saint Anthony is a touring companion, a good friend on every of our private paths. Many will ask on your intercession for well being issues, ask for therapeutic, miracles, thanks. On this sense, the quite a few ex-voto images displayed close to the tomb are a robust testimony and present the common face of the Church. There’s additionally a powerful sense of gratitude for the items obtained.
What does it imply to the touch the tombstone?
It’s not magic or superstition, however it reminds us that our non secular life can’t solely be considering, feeling, having good intentions, however that it additionally enters the residing world, in a concrete story. This fixed pilgrimage helps us to re-motivate ourselves on the journey of religion.
All well being points contain the problem of therapeutic.
When an individual involves the tomb due to sickness, he correctly asks for therapeutic. However the true miracle, as additionally occurs in Lourdes, is the opening up of different areas in prayer. The evangelical “ask and it shall be given to you” is superb, however we should overlook that it doesn’t essentially come. An important factor is to entrust ourselves to God who’s there, by our aspect, with our wounds and our fatigue and who won’t ever abandon us.
What does the saint need to do with right now’s proud and super-technological society?
He meditated lots and spoke forcefully. Antonio is the saint of the insider. He was by no means frightened about displaying off or displaying who is aware of what. Being and being in him go collectively. “I’m what I appear,” he favored to say Let’s study all of it.
What’s the level of contact with St. Francis of Assisi?
The 2 weren’t enthusiastic about exegesis or the tradition itself, however that the voice of the Lord, the decision to the occupation, could be acknowledged within the phrase of God. There’s a very correct saying: “let stop phrases and deeds communicate.”
The procession by means of Padua in more and more de-Christianized “civis” is an indication of religion and testimony.
It is as a result of he is aware of generate hyperlinks. Those that stroll behind the statue are an ecclesiastical group that finds and acknowledges itself in religion in God by means of the intercession of St. Anthony, and at all times to the extent that it will depend on intercession, even when it’s not totally understood.
In these occasions of warfare, how can San Antonio contribute to peace?
In Antonian’s proclamation for the month of June, the saint seems earlier than the tyrant asking him to surrender violence: he doesn’t succeed, however it’s a nice braveness to precise robust causes in favor of peace. It’s a bit just like the Pope incessantly invoking, every time, peace, however evidently it’s not heard. Antonio teaches us not to surrender in our efforts and to domesticate peace that should, initially, come up from our hearts and from our day by day lives. We’re all known as to transform. World peace will depend on world powers, but additionally on our private dedication.
His blessing “Peace and Goodness” is a hymn to life.
Peace is the will that nobody ever feels so removed from God that they can not begin once more, and even get well from the falls that occurred, within the first place, due to our sins. Whereas kindness means in search of lovely relationships, maybe easy however genuine, they’re the one ones which might be worthwhile in life.