On Wednesday June 13th the staff, students and community celebrated mass for the Feast of St. Anthony. It was a beautiful celebration.

Thank you to the very talented Anisah Furness for her beautiful story boarding and mosaic artworks created with the year 6 students. These mosaics will go into a prayer garden where everyone can share in the story of St. Anthony of Padua.

Introduction

Year 6 students have been working on this beautiful mosaic mural about St Anthony, The Man, the Legend! These 4 panels show some of the events that St Anthony experienced, from the time he tried to return home and his boat was blown off course, to when he was near to the end of his life and he lived in a small house inside a walnut tree. He is a famous saint for lost things and for travellers – the year 6 students will now tell you why

The Boat

The boat on the stormy sea depicts how St Anthony was coming home to Portugal from Morocco, very sick and his boat was blown off course. He ended up in Italy and a town called padua!

Symbols:

The boat is a symbol of his journey as a messenger of Jesus and of how he travelled to many places during his life.

The sun’s rays represent hope and love even when things look bad.

The Book

St Anthony’s Book of Psalms was stolen one day. It was a book that was very precious, like a diary and St Anthony used it often when he was delivering his sermons. When it was stolen St Anthony prayed for it to be returned. It was returned and the person who stole it also returned to believe in God!

Symbols

The Book is a symbol of God’s word.

The Lavender flowers represent Portugal, where St Anthony was born and his family lived.

The Lillies represent the national flowers of Italy, where St Anthony spent most of his adult life.

The Tree House

St Anthony suffered from Dropsy when he live in Padua and he became very sick. Because he loved nature so much, his friends built him a small house inside a walnut tree. It was a place for him to pray. One day, someone saw the tree filled with light and then they say St Anthony sitting there holding the baby Jesus. He asked for them not to say anything about this until after he died.

Symbols:

The Tree is a symbol of life, because many animals and people need trees to give them food, shelter and shade.

The House is a symbol of the place where we feel safe with our families.

The Flowers symbolise the beauty of God’s world.

The Fish

St Anthony was not allowed to speak in one of the small towns he visited. He became so angry and frustrated that he went into the fields and mountains and began to talk to God. He was noticed by some people that as he was talking, all the fish in the river were lined up all looking at him and listening to his sermon. After that he was invited to speak to the people.

Symbols:

Fish represent the Christian faith, because Jesus was a fisherman.

The bridge represents the was St Anthony’s words change people beliefs from not believing in Jesus to becoming believers and following the Christian way.