St. Anthony of Padua Chapel

This little gem served as a place of worship for those—such as elderly and frail residents—who could no longer make the trek to the parish church on the hill.

Today, Holy Mass is celebrated in St. Anthony’s Chapel almost every Friday at 6:30 p.m. Due to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, NO Masses are currently being held there.

St. Anthony was from Portugal. He was born in Lisbon on August 15, 1195. At the age of 15, he joined the Augustinian Canons. Driven by a desire for martyrdom, he joined the Franciscan Order with the permission of his former superiors and was given the name Anthony. The saint died on June 13, 1231, at the age of 36, near Padua. He was laid to rest in Padua itself, where he was buried on the Tuesday following his death. This is why he is still venerated today, especially on “St. Anthony’s Tuesdays” (the nine Tuesdays before Holy Week). He was canonized just one year after his death.

However, in their veneration of him, people focus less on the saint’s great scholarly achievements and instead invoke him for various intentions, first and foremost to help recover lost items. Saint Anthony is also venerated as the patron saint of lovers, marriage, and childbirth, as well as a helper against infertility, fever, demonic forces, and livestock epidemics.