Our Lady of the Angels Province friar and Director of the Shrine of St. Anthony, Fr. Michael Heine, OFM Conv. introduces the St. Anthony Feast Day featured speaker, Immaculée Ilibagiza, at the June 11, 2016 Feast Day Pilgrimage Celebration.

Today, June 13th, is the Feast Day of St. Anthony of Padua; a 13th century saint and one of the Church’s most popular. This truly universal saint, respected and venerated even by non-Christians, is known particularly as the patron saint of the lost. This past Saturday (June 11, 2016), our ministry of the Shrine of St. Anthony (Ellicott City, MD) celebrated the feast day early with a day of free events including opportunities for Adoration, Mass & Reconciliation – featuring live music, activities for the children and the featured presenter. This year, the special guest presenter was  Immaculee Ilibagiza, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide who brings her inspiring tale of not only survival, but of forgiveness, and mercy. She was the perfect addition to this year’s pilgrimage, celebrated during this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy! This was the 6th year that the Shrine (one of 7 locations of a Year of Mercy Holy Door in the Archdiocese of Baltimore) has held such a pilgrimage and each year brings more and more faithful to visit our beautiful Shrine of St. Anthony. For more information on this ministry location, or to see if there is a ministry location of Our Lady of the Angels Province near your area, please visit our Locations page.

Our Lady of the Angels Province Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv., Immaculee Ilibagiza, and Director of the Shrine of St. Anthony, Fr. Michael Heine, OFM Conv.

The Miraculous Responsory or “Si Quaeris”

If then you ask for miracles,
Death, error, all calamities,
Leprosy and demons fly,
And health succeeds infirmities.

The sea obeys and fetters break,
And lifeless limbs do you restore;
While treasures lost are found again,
When young and old your aid implore.

All dangers vanish at your prayer,
And direst need does quickly flee;
Let those who know your power proclaim,
Let Paduans say: these are of three.

To Father, Son, may glory be
And Holy Spirit, eternally.

Pray for us, blessed Anthony.
Make us worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.
Lord God, may the votive commemoration of blessed Anthony, your Confessor and Doctor, be a source of joy for your people.  May they always be strengthened with his spiritual assistance and deserve eternal rewards.  Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Composed by St. Bonaventure in honor of St. Anthony of Padua ~ sung frequently in the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua and on every Tuesday, it is sung by the faithful throughout the world.

Our Lady of the Angels Province friars, Fr. Dennis Mason, OFM Conv. (serving the pilgrims to the Shrine of St. Anthony) and Fr. Matthew Foley, OFM Conv. (serving the students of Archbishop Curley High School, Baltimore, MD) concelebrate one of the Masses.

Fr. Emmanuel Acquaye, OFM Conv., a friar from Ghana who is has been living with and serving with the friars assigned to the Shrine of St. Anthony while he was earning a Masters Degree at Loyola University Maryland, helps distribute the Blessed Sacrament during one of the Masses.

Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Julio Martinez, OFM Conv. (serving at the Shrine) chats with a pilgrim while blessing her and her Rosary.