The Conventual Franciscan Friars invite all to the Shrine of St. Anthony in Ellicott City June 11, for a Day of Pilgrimage to celebrate the shrine’s namesake, and again June 18, for a dinner concert.
“Our goal is a pilgrimage day in honor of St. Anthony,” said Father Steven G. Frenier, director of the shrine, about the June 11 pilgrimage. “This is something that the friars have been working on for several years. It’s been a good 20 years since we did something like this, and we want to make it an annual event.”
Other than a freewill offering and the cost of lunch and dinner, the pilgrimage is free. It begins with 9 a.m. Mass and includes a 7 p.m. Vigil Mass and concluding adoration and eucharistic procession.
June 13 is the feast day for St. Anthony of Padua.
The pilgrimage program includes tours, live music and talks by Father James McCurry, the provincial of the Conventual Franciscans, and Father Jude Winkler, a renowed Scripture scholar.
Pianist Alan Hart will perform during the June 18 “Under the Arches” dinner concert, which runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The cost is $35 for adults, and $15 for children 6-12.
The Shrine of St. Anthony, at 12290 Folly Quarter Road, is situated on 300 acres in Howard County once owned by Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence.
“This is a place of quiet, reflective prayer,” Father Frenier said. “St. Anthony was a great preacher. Hundreds of thousands of people returned to God through him. The shrine can be a light to bring people back to God.”
For more information about both events, telephone 410-531-2800 or visit shrineofstanthony.org.