Indians celebrate Saint Anthony
Saint Anthony of Padua is a much beloved saint in India. The Catholic chaplain of the Indians in the Holy Land reports on the novena and feast of Saint Anthony in Tel Aviv.
For the nine days leading up to the Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua, the Indian community celebrated a holy mass and a novena prayer in honor of the saint at Our Lady Woman of Valor Center in south Tel Aviv each day, beginning nine days before the feast, on June 13.
The Indian community celebrated the feast on Monday June 12, 2017. There was a procession and a mass was celebrated in Konkani at Our Lady Woman of Valor Center. The main celebrant was Father Vincent Menezes from the Mangalore diocese in India and the concelebrants were Fathers Tojy Jose OFM, the chaplain, Santhosh Lobo OFM Cap, Jose Kumar SCJ and Deacon Romero SDB. Deacon Romero had been ordained the previous day in Gethsemane. This was followed by a fellowship dinner in which about 600 people participated.