Celebrating St Anthony of Padua differently with the Migrant community
By: Latin Patriarchal Vicariate for Migrants and Asylum Seekers
Published: 20/06/2022
On June 13th, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem marked the feast day of Saint Anthony of Padua. If most of the faithful celebrate by attending a Solemn Mass and sharing time together afterward, the Vicariate for Migrants and Asylum Seekers, and more specifically the Indian Chaplaincy, did things differently, turning their celebration into a truly festive night.
After a novena of prayer to prepare for the feast, the Malayalam-speaking Indians of the Holy Land indeed turned the south of Tel Aviv into a real festive scene on Friday evening, June 17th. Besides the actual Eucharistic celebration in the church "Our Lady Woman of Valor", the feast included a large solemn procession from the nearby St. Joseph pastoral center, a thanksgiving with the crowning of all community members who are particularly committed to the parish and involved in voluntary work, and, following the Eucharistic celebration, a large procession through the south of Tel Aviv. And in no case could the midnight feast for all be missing at the end!
