Saint Francis of Assisi founded the Order of the Friars Minors in 1209. Departing from the traditional monastic set-up of those days the Franciscans lived among simple people and, for three centuries, played a leading role in the evangelization of the East. Born in Lisboa as Ferdinand Martins de Bulhões in 1195, Saint Anthony received a robust education in France and Italy. When he was 15, he joined the Canons of St. Augustine, where he distinguished himself by his sharp memory. After a group of Franciscans were martyred in Morocco, Ferdinand decided to join the Franciscan Order and attended the general chapter in Assisi alongside St. Francis himself. It was there that Ferdinand took the name Anthony and began his service in positions of obscurity. He died in Padua (Italy) on June 13, 1231.
When Ellapura (Old Goa) was taken over by Afonço de Albuquerque on November 25, 1510, there were some Franciscan friars in the expedition. Fr. João Alémão and Fr. Francisco Rocha were among them. Franciscans were the first Catholic religious order to land in Goa. Being a Portuguese Saint the devotion to Santo Antônio may have spread in Goa even more greatly than would have otherwise. Skilled local artists were being commissioned to make statues of varied sizes and materials. “As an artist and a sculptor, I can say with confidence that the most ‘searched for’ statue, among those of different saints is that of Saint Anthony. The number of statues of Saint Anthony and Saint Francis Xavier I have made, outnumber those of any other saint”, says Mr. Lazaro Fernandes, a passionate sculptor from South Goa.
Santo Antônio is revered throughout Goa, not only in Catholic homes but even in non-Catholic households. Catholic homes, are not complete without a statue of him in their oratory or altar. One will find representations of him not only in homes but practically everywhere around. He is one well-regarded saint in Goa. In addition to having him in oratories, his name has always been a popular name to be given to a male child in Catholic families, especially if born through his intersession. Families from villages having chapels or churches dedicated to Santo Antônio are seen to gift an image of him to their daughters, meant to be carried along with her as part of her wedding trousseau. Saint Anthony is also regarded as the patron of lost articles. According to tradition, someone’s lost psalter was found following a prayer of St. Anthony. It was for this reason, that he came to be known as the patron saint of lost things. The Capela de Cidas Almas located in the Old Market (Mercado Vasco da Gama) of Margão is dedicated to Santo Antônio. There is a unique tradition observed by people who flock to the chapel if they have lost something, which they would want to find again. They come to the chapel to pray to the saint. After they are done with putting forth their request to Santo Antônio, they drop a coin into a small horizontal slit opening on the chapel wall, seen along the right side of the Chapel’s main door. This money was not meant to bribe the saint in any way but was rather collected at the end of the year and used to celebrate mass in memory of the 23 people who had lost their lives in the Margão massacre of 21-September-1890. This chapel was built in the late 19th Century in memory of these 23 individuals who were killed in the political event. “I recall finding my wedding ring a year ago, soon after I came here to the Capela de Cidas Almas and prayed to Santo Antônio”, mentioned Saviola Olivera from Agaçaim. In the month of June, if there was a delay in rainfall, a statue of Saint Anthony of a considerable size (belonging to a family oratory/ altar) was taken in a procession led by male members of the village, singing devotional folk songs requesting the saint, a favor in terms of sufficient seasonal rainfall. The procession would go house to house hitting palm leaf petioles, held by every male participating in the procession, on the ground as they sang songs such as “Sant Antôn anje anje, paus ghal sanje… Sant Antôn virgo virgo, anv escolacho burgo…Sant Antônik bandila?, bandila?, paus kitea tambila?” (Meaning Angelic Saint Anthony, give us rain this evening... Virgin Saint Anthony, I am a school going child…Is St. Anthony tied up? Why has the rain stopped?) Another variant of the song is “Sant Antôn, Deva-lagim magon, Deva lagim magon, paus ghal saiba paus ghal… Sant Antôn virgo virgo, escolacho burgo… Sant Anton kela ubbo, kela ubo, amchea phatkani aila uzo… Sant Anton bhodvo, bhodvo, paus ghal tôllo… Sant Antôn anje anje, paus ghal saiba sanje...Sant Antôn Jezuchea hatan, Jezuchea hatan, pavs ghal soglea xettant”(meaning Saint Anthony, give us rain by interceding to God... Virgin Saint Anthony, I am a school going child…A statue of Saint Anthony has been erected, our sins have brought about a fire (heat)…Angelic Saint Anthony, give us a little rain…Angelic Saint Anthony, give us rain this evening…Through the hand of Jesus, may there be rain in all the fields). The procession ultimately ended at the oratory/chapel of the house from which the statue had been taken. “In some localities a statuette of the saint was placed in a small bamboo basket while it was being carried in a procession. In the basket, the statue was placed amidst local flowers. These flowers were often so many that the statuette itself was not visible. As the procession visited various families within their village, people would make some offerings in terms of money. The money was than utilized for the expenses incurred in organizing a ladainha at one of the village crosses”, mentions Loretta Andrade from Margão.
Yet another practice followed by some of the devout followers of Santo Antônio in Goa is that of tying an image of the saint with a chord or a thread and pledging to release him only on fulfillment of the vow they have made, following a thirteen-day preparation before the feast (called trezena). The vows and petitions made unto the saint may include those to find stolen or lost articles, to find a suitable partner, to have a child or to ensure good health of a newborn baby. While praying to the saint, they plead unto him to whisper their request into the ears of Infant Jesus generally shown seated in his arms.
The tradition of the Thirteen Tuesdays is a very powerful prayer devotion to St. Anthony that began as a way to acknowledge the many miracles that took place on the Tuesday following his death on June 13, 1231. The trezena to Saint Anthony is believed to have gained popularity in the 17th century in Bologna, Italy. It was in 1617, that he appeared to a pious lady of Bologna, Italy, who earnestly asked him for his help in an important matter. He said to her, “Visit my statue in the Franciscan Church on nine consecutive Tuesdays and your prayers will be answered”. She did so and to her great joy, her request was granted. The fame of the miracle became widely known and devotion to Tuesdays spread Worldwide. With her prayers answered, her example was followed by others and it soon became a common practice all around the World.