A Window into Heaven Has Been Opened!

ATTENTIVE readers of the Messenger will recall that, nearly two years ago, we carried a short report of the temporary removal of Saint Anthony’s remains from their usual place in the Basilica in order to facilitate some necessary renovations to the Chapel of the Saint. This took place on Saturday, April 12, 2008. As it happens, a priest friend of mine was visiting Padua at the time. He visited the Basilica at the beginning of his stay, and prayed at the Saint’s Tomb (still in its usual place). The next day he visited the Basilica again, and to his amazement the Saint had in the meantime unaccountably migrated to the Chapel of St James, in the other side of the church! It was only on his return to Bristol that I was able to explain to him this unexpected ‘miracle’.





An unexpected phone call





Time passed. On January 22 this year, I was very surprised to get a telephone call from Corrado Roeper, assistant to Fr. Mario Conte, the editor of this magazine. He does not usually contact me in that way. He told me that Pope Benedict had exceptionally allowed that, from February 15 to 20, the faithful would be able to see and venerate the mortal remains of Saint Anthony before they were replaced in the renovated chapel. Would I be prepared to go out to Padua for the re-opening of the Tomb on Sunday February 14? And would I write a piece for the Messenger about it? After very little thought, of course I said “Yes” to both questions! But for a day or two it looked as if there might be difficulties. This year, Lent began on February 17, so the weekend in question was Carnival-time in Venice. Could I get an EasyJet flight from Bristol to Venice for that time? No, all were fully booked. But after a little research, I found it would be possible to fly from London Gatwick to Verona, and take the train on from there.





So, very early on Friday, February 12, I took the airport coach from Bristol to Gatwick, and by early evening I was in Padua. Fr. Mario called a little later with a thick file of background material for me to study in preparation for Sunday evening. It seems that the body of our Saint has been moved several times within the Basilica since his first burial on Tuesday, 17 June, 1231. He had wished to be buried in the little church of Maria Mater Domini (Mary Mother of the Lord), which had been given for the friars’ use in the time of Saint Francis, and beside which stood their humble dwelling. Anthony’s wish had led to some unseemly wrangling in the three days after his death at Arcella, just outside the city. The local people wanted him to be buried there, but after some debate – and even riots – the city authorities decided that the Saint’s wishes should prevail. The short delay probably allowed the friars to prepare a suitable Tomb, thought to have been in the form of a stone sarcophagus standing on four columns before the altar. Tombs of this type can still be seen in Padua, dating from classical times, and the temporary Tomb in the Chapel of St James was deliberately constructed in the same form, so that for two years it was possible to see the Ark (Tomb) more or less as it was at the beginning.





Incorrupt tongue





After the great outpouring of miracles that led to Anthony’s rapid canonisation, it was realised that a much bigger church would be needed for the crowds of pilgrims that were already flocking to the Tomb. After some thirty years, the present magnificent Basilica was substantially complete alongside the little church of St Mary where the Saint was actually buried. On 8 April, 1263, the Minister General of the Franciscans, Saint Bonaventure, came to preside at the transfer of the Saint’s remains to a new Ark, situated in a position corresponding to that which it had in the old church, namely before the altar. It was on this occasion that the Saint’s tongue and larynx were found to be still incorrupt. The Tomb remained in its new position for many years, while a new transept replaced the church of St Mary, part of which, however, is still preserved in the structure of the Basilica. In 1350 (if not before) the body was returned to a reconstructed Ark in the transept, which at that time resembled the present Chapel of St James opposite. Thus Anthony was once again buried on the site he had chosen, within what had once been his beloved church of Mater Domini. No further movement took place for over five hundred years, although the redecoration of the chapel in a Renaissance style took place in the seventeenth century.





The 1981 Exposition





In 1981, to mark the 750th anniversary of the Saint’s death, Pope John Paul II gave permission for a scientific examination of the relics. The Tomb was opened (a video of the event can be seen on the Basilica website at http://www.santantonio.org/ostensionedelsanto2010/ing/home.asp), and inside the marble sarcophagus was found a large wooden coffin, with a smaller coffin inside. Inside the latter were three cloth-wrapped bundles, containing the bones of the Saint, other organic matter, and the habit in which he had died. As a result of the examinations made, we now have a much better idea of Anthony’s physical appearance, and his age when he died. A gifted sculptor was able to recreate the probable features of the Saint in a way that corrects some misconceptions in earlier portraits.



Before returning the relics to the Tomb, the bones were carefully reassembled in their proper order (they had been found loose), laid on a mattress of precious cloth, and enclosed in a crystal casket. This was exposed for veneration throughout February 1981, before being placed in an oak coffin and restored to the Ark. It was probably not foreseen at that time that there would be any further reopening of the Tomb. However, as we know, deterioration of the Chapel of Saint Anthony (Ark) due to damp made repairs urgent, necessitating the construction of a temporary Tomb in the opposite transept, as mentioned. The translation of the relics took place without fuss one evening, hence the mystification of my friend! The video of this event is also available on the website. By last December the renovations were complete, and the Chapel now looks magnificent. It was time for one further journey.





A half-hour trip





I made my personal preparation for the Sunday evening ceremony the day before, in the company of Corrado and his family: his wife Rosy, and their children Elisabeth and Ermanno. They kindly drove me out to Camposampiero, north of Padua, where Anthony had his little house in the chestnut tree on the estate of Count Tiso. The tree, Tiso’s house, and even the forest that once flourished all around, have long gone, but there is a beautiful little chapel on the site of the tree-house. There are many other beautiful reminders of the Saint, which I may write of another time. It was from here, then, that Anthony began his final journey on June 13, 1231. By car, Camposampiero is only a half-hour trip, but in days gone by it would have been a good day’s walk, and several hours even in a horse-drawn vehicle such as brought back the dying Anthony. By the time he and his companions reached Arcella, just outside Padua, it was clear that he could go no further, and he died in the house of the Poor Clares. There is now a beautiful church on the site, containing the cell where the Saint passed away. From there, it is a short walk past the Station to the gates of the city, and the narrow streets flanked by the typical Paduan arcades through which the funeral cortege must have passed to the church of Mater Domini.





O gloriosa Domina





So, on the evening of Sunday, February 14 this year, a fresh cortege assembled. Workmen had already erected a framework of scaffolding and pulleys around the Tomb after the last Mass of the day. From about half past eight a small crowd began to assemble, the friars themselves and a small number of civic dignitaries, as well as many lay people who work in the service of the Basilica and its many pilgrims. Even though there must have been well over a hundred people, it still felt a very intimate family gathering. A small organ and a violin provided a musical background, sweet and sad music that reminded me of the Jewish tradition and of our Christian roots in the faith of Abraham.



At nine o’clock the cross-bearer and acolytes led in the Minister Provincial, vested in a cope. The Rector of the Basilica made a few necessary announcements, and the workmen began to raise the coffin slowly out of the marble sarcophagus, lowering it again on a bier in front of the Tomb. The wooden coffin was then removed, to reveal the crystal casket inside. Father Provincial led us in prayer, and we sang the hymn O gloriosa Domina which Anthony himself had sung, all those years ago, as he prepared to surrender his soul to God.



After this, the cross-bearer and acolytes moved off, followed by a double line of friars (among whom, for this occasion, I was privileged to be included). We sang a Litany invoking the prayers of the Saint – prega per noi (pray for us) over and over again – as we walked slowly through the darkened church towards the Treasury – the Chapel of the Relics. Here a simple catafalque had been constructed, surrounded by a railing, outside of which we formed a circle. At the end of the procession came the bier, born by friars and accompanied by candles, the presiding priest and the rest of the faithful.





A deeply moving sight





When the casket had been reverently placed on the catafalque, I got my first proper look at the Holy Relics, the mortal remains of Anthony – a deeply moving sight. Then, led by Father Provincial, we sang Compline, the night prayer of the Church. The ancient chant rose and fell: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, and abides in the shade of the Almighty, says to the Lord: My refuge, my stronghold, my God in whom I trust.” Then, after the blessing and the familiar antiphon “If then you ask for miracles...”, we were allowed to file round the catafalque, inside the railing, close enough to touch the casket and speak our silent prayers. The ceremony was over, and we went out into the night air. The next morning, when I returned to the Basilica, a steady stream of pilgrims was already snaking its way around the Chapel, each person intent on doing honour to the Saint.





Benedict’s message





This was only the beginning, though, as I learned later. For six days there was a continual influx of pilgrims from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm. Some 2,000 people filed past the crystal casket every hour, and at some times the line extended for almost a mile, well-beyond Prato della Valle, one of the largest squares in Europe. On the last day, the line extended for almost two miles. In the six days of the Exposition, it is estimated that over 200,000 people came to venerate the Saint’s remains.



Finally, on the night of Saturday, February 20, the body was solemnly returned to its original resting place in the Chapel of Saint Anthony in the presence of Msgr. Francesco Gioia, Pontifical Delegate for the Basilica. During the ceremony, the Rector of the Basilica, read out a message from Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State, “The Holy Father, who is spiritually present with you, sends his warmest greetings to the well-deserving Conventual Franciscan Friars and to all the pilgrims and devotees who have flocked in large numbers to venerate the relics of the great apostle of preaching and charity. His Holiness hopes that the fortunate event might highlight the shining example of this Franciscan priest who has been loved by so many generations of believers. May it inspire many young people to embrace religious life as faithful followers of the Seraphic Rule. May it cause many to renew their commitment to the love of Christ and their brothers and sisters. May they generously commit themselves to work for justice and peace. With this in mind, the Holy Father, through the intercession of the great Wonder-Worker, invokes a plenitude of celestial favours on those who have participated in this solemn event, and sends a heartfelt apostolic blessing”.





Spiritual enrichment





So what was it all for? There are those who think that veneration of relics ought to be a thing of the past, that a preoccupation with ancient bones is morbid and unseemly. Speaking for myself, I found the whole experience spiritually enriching. In his lifetime, Anthony fought against the Manichean heresy of the Cathars, which denigrated the flesh and the world of matter. Christianity, and Franciscanism in particular, rejoices in the fact that God has made a wonderful and beautiful world, and seen that it is good. He has made us what we are, spiritual beings incarnate, clothed in material bodies. The bones we honoured were not just accidental belongings of Anthony, now discarded, they had been part of his very being, and in a sense they still are, even though his spirit has left them.



In death, Anthony still preaches and teaches the message he proclaimed in life, and which is preserved in his writings. We are mortal, formed of dust, and to dust we return; yet we are also immortal, created for everlasting happiness with God, made for glory. Even our mortal part is destined to be raised and glorified. Yet the bones of Anthony remind us that, so far, only our Lord and his blessed Mother have entered fully, body and soul, into glory. The saints themselves still wait “in sure and certain hope of the resurrection.” We are all pilgrims, some still here on earth, passing through this world and leaving it at death; some in Purgatory, and some already in Heaven. But God has still more in store for all of us! The recent Exposition of the relics of Saint Anthony has truly opened for us a window into Heaven!