The Catholic Church celebrates Christmas this Sunday (13) Saint Anthony’s Day. The Portuguese saint, known to be a friend of the poor and a reputation as a matchmaker, is considered one of the most sought after figures of popular devotion. In Manaus, many believers took advantage of Sunday to give thanks for the blessings achieved through his intercession. At Capela do Pobre Diabo, in Cachoeirinha, in the southern district of the capital, there was a distribution of bread and prayer all morning.
Public servant Leonora Ferreira, 57, thanked the saint for his health and took the opportunity to pick up the famous Santo Antonio bread. She was worried that the church would not be found open, because last year, due to the exacerbation of the epidemic, there was no traditional ceremony in honor of the patron saint.
A public servant received bread from Santo Antonio. – Photo: Mateos Castro / J1
“I was worried about coming and finding the church closed, but thank God it’s open. I came to thank you, right? To thank and ask for health for me and my family and for the whole world. But I’m sure we’ll win this. I’m loyal to him [Santo Antônio] He always listens to me.”
Tired and pastoral agent of the Poor Church of Satan for over 10 years, Edite Pessoa, 82, is responsible for distributing Saint Anthony’s bread. Sitting by the altar, she does the work for a long time and emotionally recounts what she saw and heard at the site.
The pensioner is responsible for distributing bread to the faithful. – Photo: Mateos Castro / J1
“Every year I hand out bread here and many people come to get it. They order and I think so أعتقد [Santo Antônio] Help, because they come to thank you later, right? They pray in T-shirts with smiles on their faces. he is good, it is good. And this year a lot of people came to ask and thank them for their health too.”
a st 1 He also found those who went to church to thank him for finding his soul mate through the intercession of the saint. As is the case with retired Sheila Margaret, 47, whom Nima asked him to marry to Guilherme Moreira, 69.
The couple thanked the saint for the wedding. – Photo: Mateos Castro / J1
“I really asked him to give me the joy of marrying my husband. It’s been a year today since we were together. I asked, and I asked a lot and then said to Santo Antonio: ‘Look, Santo Antonio, I’m not asking you more. You can do your will in my life “. That’s what I said on June 13, 2020, then when in July he moved in with me,” her testimony is emotional.
Santo Antonio was born in Lisbon in 1195 and died at the age of 36, in 1235. He was a follower of São Francisco, known as a friend of the poor and always sharing bread with the needy. The saint is also considered a gospel preacher and a doctor of the church because of his preaching. It is said that still alive, he carried the baby Jesus in his arms, hence the representation in the venerable images.
The church is located in Cachoirinha. – Photo: Rickardo Marques / G1 AM
The Church of Santo Antonio, also known as the Capilla de Pobre Diabo, contains various stories about the origin of its second name. Reports say that in the mid-1880s, a Portuguese merchant was putting up a sign in front of his shop that read “Loja do Pobre Diabo” (Loja do Pobre Diabo).
Years later, the merchant fell ill. And from there, his wife, a fan of Saint Anthony, made a promise to the saint for the healing of her husband. If the request is approved, a chapel for Santo Antonio will be built. After it was rehabilitated, the merchant’s wife built the chapel, now known as Poor Satan’s Chapel.
Others say that the homeless slept next to the church every day. When asked why he didn’t enter the place, he only said that he was a “poor devil”. With an average capacity of 20 people, the place is considered a historical landmark of the city and is still constantly closed.
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