The General Canonical Visitation of the Italian Province of St. Anthony of Padua (Northern Italy) took place from March to October, 2020.
The Visitation was conducted by a team of Visitators nominated by the Minister General, Friar Carlos TROVARELLI, namely: Friar Tadeusz ŚWIĄTKOWSKI, for the friaries of the Province within Italy; Friar Rogério PEREIRA XAVIER for the Provincial Delegations in Portugal and Chile) and Friar Nicola ROSA for conducting an Economic Visitation.
Due to the pandemic, the Visitation underwent a number of changes to its program, and in other ways as well, such as listening directly to the friars in some friaries and using questionnaires in others.
The Province is historically linked to the Province of Lombardy or Bologna. It was established when the Order was first divided into Provinces, during the General Chapter of 1217. At that Chapter, the Seraphic Father St. Francis named Friar Pietro Giovanni STRACCHIA as the first Minister Provincial of the Province. The second Minister Provincial was Friar Graziano and St. Anthony was the third (cf. A. SARTORI, La Provincia del Santo, Padua, 1958, p. 330).
The Province is now comprised of three former Jurisdictions: the Provinces of Padua, Genoa and Bologna. Its territory extends from Genoa to Trieste. The Province has twenty-seven friaries in Italy and two Provincial Delegations in Portugal and Chile. The friars of the Province are engaged in various apostolic and charitable services. In addition to parish and shrine ministry, the friars provide important service at the Messenger of St. Anthony Press, Caritas Antoniana [a charitable institute], service centers for the poor, the sick, young people, etc.
In addition to its two Delegations, the Province has the Provincial Custody of St. Anthony of Padua in Ghana and recently helped its Custody in Indonesia become a Province.
The Province of St. Anthony of Padua will celebrate its next Ordinary Provincial Chapter in the spring of 2021.
Friar Tadeusz ŚWIĄTKOWSKI, General Visitator
