DEAR friend, this year’s All Souls’ Day carries a deeper sorrow for me, marked by the loss of Guerrino, my faithful friend of more than fifty years...
October 31 2025
Mario Conte, OFM Conv.
Footsteps of Love
Dear Friend,
In just a few days we will celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi – the founder of the Franciscan Order to which I belong. His life of poverty, humility and peace has touched hearts for centuries, and continues to inspire and guide us today. Among those deeply moved by his example was Biagio Conte, known to many as Brother Biagio – a modern-day pilgrim of love and compassion...
September 30 2025
Mario Conte, OFM Conv.
Learning to Fly
Dear Friend, when our parents told us we were going to see a movie about the life of a saint, my brothers and I were anything but excited...
August 29 2025
Mario Conte, OFM Conv.
When Words Fail
Dear Friend, I write to you with a heavy heart to share something that has deeply affected me. Yesterday, one of my Franciscan brothers, Franco (not his real name), experienced one of the most painful moments imaginable...
June 30 2025
Mario Conte, OFM Conv.
St. Anthony @ Your Side
Dear friend, St. Anthony was an extraordinary communicator. Through his preaching, he spoke not only to people’s ears, but also to their hearts...
Dear Friend, around the Basilica of St. Anthony the atmosphere is changing. Streets glow with soft lights, shop windows sparkle with garlands, and cafés offer warm drinks and pastries. Yet something deeper stirs – not only in the city’s alleys and squares, but also in many hearts. And here, within the Basilica, we friars feel it too...
Two holy relics of St. Anthony of Padua will visit the Diocese of Charlotte, NC, from Friday, December 5 to Sunday, December 14. The two first-class relics will be accompanied by Fathers Mario Conte and Fabio Turrisendo, two Franciscan friars from the Pontifical Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua, Italy. The two relics are fragments of St. Anthony’s Skin and his Floating Rib; the latter relic has special significance because it was venerated by Lucy of Fatima in her convent in Coimbra in 1995, and by then-Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pope Francis) in the Cathedral of Buenos Aires in 2000.
