The holy relics of Saint Anthony containing his mortal remains will be brought to Coimbatore on 5th of March. Saint Anthony is one of the most famous saints hailed by the Catholics. The holy relics of this Saint belonging to the 13th century is preserved in a glass case in his tomb at Padua, Italy.
The Franciscan Sainthood church will be hosting the holy relics of this 13th century saint in Coimbatore. Today, a press meet in this regard was convened at the Trinity School that is located in Ramanathapuram, Coimbatore.
When speaking about the event Father Elias said that “The holy relic of Saint Anthony was brought from his tomb in Padua, Italy on February 9th. Since the, thousands of devotees have been paying their tribute to the relics of this saint which was on display at various places in Andhra Pradesh, Telengana including Hyderabad and places in Kerala.,Kottyam, Ernakulam and Idukki districts for public view. Around 20 years back, the holy relics was kept for public display in various places in Kerala., including Ernakulam, Thrissor, Kottayam and Trivandrum'.
“Tomorrow (4th March) the holy relics will be kept for public view in Kotagiri following which the statue will be brought to Coimbatore the day after, i.e., March 5th. Father Johnson Veepattuppurambil will preside over the special prayer sessions.
The holy relics will be placed there from 8 am in the morning to 2 pm for public to pay their respect and offerings. The statue will then be moved to Snehalaya in K.G Chavadi and will be kept for public display until 7 pm. The statue will then be taken from there to Angamaly, Kerala and will be displayed there up to 15th March. And, from there the statue will be sent back Padua, Italy from there. Hence, preparations are on at full-swing to host the holy statue of Saint Antony in Coimbatore'. Father Elias said.
'More than ten thousand people are expected to participate in this programme, trustee Antony and programme organizer Jason told media.