Southern California was drizzling and cloudy when it welcomed the relics of Saint Anthony in mid-April, but the glow and joy of visitors certainly provided the warmth and spiritual sunshine on the first stops of the 8-day tour of the region. Indeed, the reverence and outpouring of adoration by the visiting faithful mirrored a deep love for the Saint who has touched, inspired and influenced so many for so long.
The Southern California stopover was part of a larger nationwide tour of Saint Anthony’s relics organized by the Messenger of Saint Anthony and directed by the Franciscan Friars of the Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua, Italy.
Locally, Father Ray Mallet, pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Hermosa Beach, was instrumental in facilitating the relics into and around the Greater Los Angeles area. It was a yearlong process of coordination and planning, he said, but the end result was a powerful, prayerful experience for many. “So many things in this life we are told not to touch,” he said, “but we want people to touch – respectfully of course – these relics. This is our connection to our faith.”
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