Thousands of people are expected to visit the relics of St Anthony when they are brought to Catholic churches across Ireland and Knock shrine next month.
The 13th-century friar was one of the earliest members of the Franciscan Order, founded by St Francis in 1209, and remains hugely popular as the patron saint of lost things.
When his relics were brought to Ireland in 2013, as many as 30,000 people venerated them at Galway Cathedral over a period of several hours.
The relics were also taken to Dublin, Wexford, Cork, and Limerick, as well as Galway.
Next month they will be taken to St Mary's in Cahir, Co Tipperary (on June 9th), St Mary's Cathedral, Killarney, Co Kerry, (June 10th), Knock, Co Mayo (June 11th), St Mary's Cathedral, Sligo (June 12th), St Mary's Pro Cathedral, Dublin (June 13th, feast day of St Anthony), St Mel's Cathedral, Longford (June 14th), St Eugene's Cathedral, Derry (June 15th) and St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (June 16th).
The relics will then be taken to Scotland and England.
At each venue the relics will remain exposed during special Masses, at the conclusion of which all those attending will be invited to approach the reliquary for a blessing.
While receiving the relics of St Anthony at the Franciscan Church of the Visitation in Dublin’s Fairview on October 16th, 2013, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin told an overflow congregation that “[the relic of a] small piece of his skin reminds us of Anthony the human person.
“Sanctity is not something which is extraneous to our bodily lives.”
Floating rib
This time the reliquary will contain St Anthony's floating rib, which was used by the then archbishop Jorge Bergoglio (now Pope Francis) to bless the congregation after Mass at the Catedral Metropolitana in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on April 30th, 2000.
As in 2013, the relics will be accompanied in Ireland next month by Fr Mario Conte, editor of the Messenger of St Anthony magazine.
The magazine is published by the Conventual Franciscan Friars of St Anthony's Basilica at Padua in Italy, where St Anthony's tomb is located.
