Born in Lisbon-Portugal as Fernando Martins, St. Anthony first joined the Augustinian Canons as a novice and later as a priest. Inspired by the martyrdom of five Franciscan priests, he later joined the Franciscan Order and took the name Anthony.
Anthony is known for many miracles showing his compassion and faith. He defended the poor against moneylenders and miraculously revived a drowned child through prayer. In times of famine, he blessed a small amount of bread that multiplied to feed many. He also healed a mother’s injured foot after her son confessed to kicking her hard.
Known for resolving family disputes, St. Anthony once convinced a doubting nobleman of his paternity when an infant miraculously spoke. His sermons even reached nature—he famously preached to fish in Rimini and converted a heretic when the man’s mule knelt before the Blessed Sacrament. He has been the source of many miracles since his death on June 13, 1231; he was canonised as St. Anthony of Padua on May 30, 1232.
In Goa, St. Anthony’s feast is celebrated with processions and devotion on June 13. A 13-day Trezen precedes the feast, honouring his miracles. The saint’s statues are common in homes, and Litanies are recited. Devotees often seek his help to find lost items, praying: Whisper my petition into the ears of the sweet Infant Jesus. Many children, especially June-born or miracle-related, are named Anthony or Antonia.
Among the many chapels that house relics/the Saint’s statue, the one at Nomoxint comes with a special twist—it's not just holy, it's got history. Before the 1960s, a statue of St. Anthony stood atop a cross on a sand dune along the Miramar-Caranzalem beach, beside a mud house where Fr. Rocky Pio Fernandes lived with his family. Over time, ongoing coastal erosion wore away the dune, bringing the cross dangerously close to falling into the sea.
Locals from Nomoxint and Kerant, who often spent time at the beach, noticed the cross with the statue of St. Anthony was threatened by coastal erosion. Acting quickly, concerned residents moved the statue to a safer dune further inland. One of them built a tripod from tamarind branches, placed wooden planks on it, and placed the statue on top.
The statue was relocated to the property owned by João Marcelo da Cunha, who was then serving as the Deputy Office Superintendent of Customs and Central Excise, Panjim. The area, once dense with tamarind trees, was known as Chinchant. Miraculously, the next day, the original dune was fully eroded, and the cross collapsed into the sea. Locals, including Francis Monteiro—now in his eighties—considered the statue’s timely relocation nothing short of a miracle.
In 1962, devotees who regularly prayed before the statue of St. Anthony formed an association with seven founding members. They took charge of organising prayers and litanies in his honour. A new cross was erected, and the statue was placed within it, initially sheltered with thatched coconut-leaves. Gradually, a small chapel with enclosed walls and an asbestos-sheet roof was built around it, accommodating about 20 people for prayer.
Before 1970, regular litanies were held at the chapel. Devotees recall a surprising sight—a snake that often appeared behind the chapel and made a whistling sound during the litany. Remarkably, it never harmed anyone.
Every June 13, the feast began with a 7:00 a.m. procession to St. Francis Xavier Chapel, Kerant, led by the feast president carrying St. Anthony’s statue. Mass followed at 7:30 a.m., ending with the priest’s blessing with St. Anthony’s statue. The statue was then taken back in procession to the Nomoxint Cross, and the day ended with the traditional Feast Litany in the evening.
As devotion to St. Anthony grew over the years, the association expanded and became Sociedade St. Antonio Bhairo Nomoxinto. With donations coming in, they rebuilt and enlarged the chapel, adding a concrete slab roof.
In 1999, after the feast of St. Anthony, Fr. Venturo Lourenço, then Parish Priest of Taleigão, blessed and laid the foundation stone for the chapel’s reconstruction. In 2000, the new chapel was blessed and inaugurated by then Parish Priest Fr. Carmo Martins. Since then, only the feast mass has been celebrated there. Notably, the original cross’s table structure was preserved and continues to serve as the altar in the renovated chapel.
In 2015, Fr. Conceição, then Parish Priest, introduced a Triduum with Masses on June 11 and 12, followed by the Feast Mass on the 13th, a format continued in 2016 and 2017. In 2018, Fr. Cipriano da Silva began evening Trezen and a monthly Mass on the 13th. These were paused for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Feast Mass was held at Taleigão Church. Both the Trezen and monthly Masses resumed post-pandemic.
It’s a special occasion for the faithful of Nomoxint and Kerant in particular, and the Taleigão parish in general, as the renovated chapel celebrates 25 years, while the original asbestos-sheet chapel marks 65 years. His Grace Simião Purificação Fernandes, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, will preside over the Eucharistic celebration at 8:15 a.m.
