Crotone – June 13th is the feast of Saint Anthony of Padua, and even in Crotone the deeply felt devotion towards this Saint is renewed. The Religious Ceremonies, with traditional events that take place at different times, bring together hundreds of faithful every year, and will culminate this evening with the procession of the saint through the streets of the parish.
So it ends today Thirteen, with the blessing of St. Anthony’s Bread throughout the morning. For the traditional distribution of the so-called “St. Anthony’s Bread”, it all began with a miracle in which the protagonist was a child, little Tommasino, a twenty-month-old boy who lived in Padua at the time when the dedicated basilica was being built. to the saint.
“A twenty-month-old boy, named Tomasino, whose parents lived near the church of Blessed Anthony in Padua, was carelessly left by his mother next to a container full of water. He started playing childish games in the water and perhaps, seeing his image reflected in it and wanting to chase it, he fell into the container head down and feet up. Since he was small and could not untangle himself, he soon became drowned in it. After a short time had passed, her mother had done her chores, and seeing the child’s feet emerging from that container in the distance, she rushed in, screaming loudly in a crying voice, and pulled the little one out. She found him all stiff and cold, because he had drowned. At this sight, moaning in anguish, she shocked the whole neighborhood with her loud moans. Many people rushed to the scene, including some minor friars together with workers, who at that time were working on certain repairs in the church of Blessed Anthony. When they saw that the child was certainly dead, sharing in the mother’s suffering and tears, they withdrew as if wounded by the sword of sorrow. Her mother, however, although her anguish was tearing her heart apart, began to reflect on the stupendous miracles of Blessed Anthony, and invoked his help to revive her dead son. She also added a vow: that she would give to the poor the quantity of grain corresponding to the weight of the child, if Blessed Anthony had resurrected him. From sunset until midnight the little boy lay dead, his mother continuing without ceasing to invoke the help of Blessed Anthony and assiduously repeating her vow, when – what a wonderful thing to say! – the dead child regained life and full health”.
Tuesday 13 June Feast of Saint Anthony: Holy Masses 7.00 – 8.00 – 9.00 – 10.00. At 11.00 am the Holy Mass with the Blessing of the Artisans. While at 5.00 pm there will be the Blessing of the children dressed as Saint Anthony, and at 7.00 pm the Eucharistic Celebration will be presided over by the Archbishop of Crotone-Santa Severina Angelo Raffaele Panzetta.
