Devotees pay their respects to a statue of St. Anthony of Padua at the shrine in Panjora village of Gazipur district on May 13. (Photo: Ripon Tolentino)
The pilgrimage of St. Anthony of Padua — the largest annual gathering of Bangladeshi Catholics — has been celebrated with new vigor and inspiration this year.
After nine days of preparation through special prayers, the St. Anthony of Padua shrine in Panjora village of Gazipur district in the Archdiocese of Dhaka welcomed thousands of devotees on May 13.
Bishop Shorot Francis Gomes of Sylhet celebrated two Masses on the feast day for the Portuguese saint.
“You have come here as a devotee of St. Anthony. But I would urge you all to keep the Bible in your home and read at least one line a day. St. Anthony has got God's grace so that we too may get that grace,” Bishop Gomes told worshippers.
“May we all come here next year as preachers of the word of the God and thank God through St. Anthony.”
Normally, more than 50,000 pilgrims attend the shrine each year, but this year the number was about 25,000 because of poor weather and harvesting commitments, organizers said.
“The presence of thousands of Christian people makes me happy. I thank God and St. Anthony for keeping us healthy from the pandemic"
“We have not been able to organize the pilgrimage at a suitable time for devotees this year,” said parish priest Father Joyanto S. Gomes of St. Nicholas of Tolentino Church of Nagari.
“The weather is not good but we have felt the joy of reunion between people.”
Gabriel Costa, 35, who works for a private company in Dhaka, has been attending the pilgrimage for about 10 years.
“After returning here, peace of mind comes. It seems that I have gained a different kind of spiritual strength through which I personally find the strength to walk in the days ahead,” Costa told UCA News.
“The presence of thousands of Christian people makes me happy. I thank God and St. Anthony for keeping us healthy from the pandemic.”
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