The present chapel at the Shrine of St. Anthony at Panjora was built in 1906. It is recognized as the national shrine in Bangladesh. Since the weather in the country does not favour for big gathering of people during the actual feast day (June 13), every year the Feastday and Pilgrimage to the shrine are observed on the First Friday of February. 9 days of preparation (Novena Masses and confession) with the presence of thousands occur ahead of the feast.
Prayers are a big part of this solemn event which includes speeches and sermons by dignitaries including a Vatican representative. Many people bring manti - offerings for the Saint for realisation of their wishes and prayers (manot) Pigeons, cattle and money are common manti.
At the end of formalities, Brothers and Sisters give sweets to the devotees, signifying communion. Pigeons are ceremonially released to symbolise peace on earth.
Wandering through the crowd, I see a pretty woman posing for the camera of a smartly dressed man standing a few feet away. He introduces himself as Tony Rosario from Dhaka.
“I have come here for twenty years,” says Tony.
“What did you pray for?” I ask.
“For my daughter's well-being,” he replies.
The woman joins us. She is Ratna, Tony's wife. Her prayers were also for Anushka, their daughter, who attends the Bacha school.
Nearby, five young women - Cinda, Nita, Jemma, Anondi and Choiti - are chatting merrily when I take their photograph. They live nearby and attend college. “For our studies,” they say in unison when I ask them about their prayers.
Sisters Supina and Bridget are here from Tejgaon, Dhaka. Their prayer was for world peace. Missing the other Sisters who live with them but were unable to come, Supina and Bridget had offered a prayer for them.
Later, Father Proshanto Rebeiro, in charge of Nagori Catholic Church, tells me about the origin of this event.
In the 1700s, the son of a Hindu zaminder was kidnapped by Mogh pirates. While in captivity he dreamed about St. Anthony of Padua. He converted to Christianity and, after his release, started preaching in this area, calling himself Anthony.
Another local story from approximately the same time involves a statue that miraculously disappeared and reappeared at a different place. The statue was of St. Anthony.
Devotees started coming here, possibly as early as two centuries ago, to show their devotion and offer their prayers.
Father Proshanto, for example, remembers coming here as a child with his mother.
Over time, the event grew large and elaborate. This year approximately 40000 people attended, possibly making it the largest gathering of Christians in Bangladesh.
I asked Father Proshanto about special memories from the Festival. “What touched me most is the effort by the people, many walking for miles in the early morning cold, to show their devotion. I found this enlightening.”
As I left, I thought about these devotees and wished for the fulfilment of their prayers.
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