TRUMBULL—The major relic of St. Anthony of Padua will be coming to St. Theresa Church in Trumbull on Friday, June 9. The public is invited to the Masses and the hours of veneration for this popular saint.
Masses will be at 12 noon and 5:30 pm. Veneration of St. Anthony’s relic continues all afternoon, then again after the 5:30 Mass until 9:00 pm.
St. Anthony’s relic is traveling here from the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua, Italy. For this major event, Franciscan Father Alessandro Ratti is bringing the relic to the United States for stops in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey from June 9-18. The feast of St. Anthony of Padua is celebrated June 13.
St. Anthony died on June 13, 1231. He was so popular and so well known for his piety and miracle-working in his lifetime that he was canonized only 11 months later by Pope Gregory IX in 1232. More recently, Venerable Pius XII named him a Doctor of the Church.
For over seven centuries, St. Anthony has been among the most popular saints people turn to for intercession. He is especially sought after for finding lost objects, both temporal and spiritual, from objects to people to souls.
The relic coming to America and the first stop at St. Theresa’ Church is skin from the cheek of St. Anthony. The friar accompanying the relic will also take all petitions to the saint back to Padua for prayers there too.
St. Theresa Church is located at 5301 Main St. Trumbull, near the Merritt Parkway.
