Celebrating 10 Years of St. Anthony’s Feast, Toronto.
Looking Back
St. Anthony’s Prayer Meeting, June 2014
Background: In June 2014, Mrs. Anjoli Mendez felt the need of observing Saint Anthony Feast like she did at home country Bangladesh. So, she called for a prayer meeting to observe the feast at her residence in Toronto, ON, Canada. About 30 people attended the prayer meeting on Saturday, June 14, 2014. Mrs. Anjoli Mendez and Matthew Mendez conducted the prayer meeting. After the prayer meeting and dinner Mrs. Anjoli Mendez and her husband Mr. Matthew Mendez requested the attendees to come forward to host the second prayer meeting for the year 2015. Mr. Clement Shekhor Gomes and his wife Loren Deepali Gomes offered to host the prayer meeting for the feast.
St. Anthony’s Prayer Meeting, June 2015
So, the second St. Anthony’s Feast celebration was hosted by Clement Shekhar and Deepali Gomes at their residence’s recreation hall on Saturday, June 27, 2015. Mr. Matthew Mendez and Anjoli Mendez conducted the prayer meeting. About 60 people attended the second St. Anthony’s Prayer Meeting. It was a very successful celebration. The prayer meeting was followed by dinner provided by the host. After the prayer service Mrs. Anjoli Mendez and Matthew Mendez requested the participants to come forward to host the third prayer meeting for the year 2016. Clarence Shankar and Loreto Gomes proposed to host it. However, Benedict Shekhor Gomes and few other attendees proposed to make the feast celebration open to all the Bangladeshi Catholics of Toronto because they informed that many other people are interested to join the feast celebrations. As the participants for the feast were growing dramatically, Mr. and Mrs. Mendez accepted the proposal placed by the house. However, Mr. Matthew and Anjoli Mendez requested the participants to come forward to form a committee to conduct the future St. Anthony Feast celebrations. The following participants volunteered to form a committee. They are Vincent Rebeiro, Kalyani Rebeiro, Clarence Shankar Gomes, Loreto Doren Gomes, Clement Shekhar Gomes, Loren Deepali Gomes, and Benedict Shekhor Gomes.
Formation of Committee
The first meeting with the interested volunteers took place on Monday, June 29, 2015, at Clarence Shankar and Loreto Gomes’s residence in Scarborough. The meeting was attended by the interested volunteers.
A committee was formed in the meeting as follows: Matthew Mendez and Anjoli Mendez as Conveners, Loreto Doren Gomes as Secretary. Clement Shekhar Gomes, Loren Deepali Gomes, Clarence Shankar Gomes, Vincent Rebeiro, Kalyani Rebeiro and Benedict Shekhar Gomes joined as the Members of the Committee.
The committee was named as Saint Anthony Feast Organizing Committee (SAFOC).
St. Anthony’s Feast 2016
January 30, 2016, a new member Mrs. Aroti Rego joined the committee as member. With the leadership of Matthew and Anjoli Mendez, Saint Anthony Feast Organizing Committee (SAFOC) organized Saint Anthony Feast Celebrations for all the Catholic population of Toronto every year from June 2016. The feast celebrations were done with mass in Bengali by Bangladeshi bishops and or priests. Recollection of St. Anthony’s life and miracles were done before or after the feast mass. Prayer cards and gurala blessed during the mass were distributed after every feast mass. In addition, dinner or snacks were served to all the participants. Sponsors were contacted to financially support the feast expenses. A Bengali choir group was formed that practiced and presented devotional hymns dedicated to St. Anthony at the feast mass. Nine days long novena prayers were conducted prior to every St.Anthony Feast Day in devotees’ houses or in a church.
The first open to all St. Anthony feast was held in Canadian Martyr’s parish at 522 Plains Road, East York on Sunday, June 19, 2016. It was celebrated with a feast mass by Bishop Theotenius Gomes c.s.c. and Fr. Xavier Thomas Gomes c.s.c. St. Anthony choir presented nice devotional hymns during mass. Around 300 Bangladeshi Catholics attended the feast. A reception program was organized in the church hall after the feast mass. The reception program included recollection of St. Anthony’s life and miracles, reception of the feast celebrants, souvenirs to the parba kortas , father’s day celebration, short cultural program and dinner for all participants.
St. Anthony’s Feast 2017
The second St. Anthony feast in Toronto was celebrated with a mass on Sunday, June 18, 2017, at Canadian Martyr’s parish at 522 Plains Road, East York. The main celebrant was Fr. Xavier Thomas Gomes. He was assisted by Fr. Robert Gomes from Montreal, Quebec. About 350 participants attended. Similar reception program was organized after the feast mass. In 2017, Janet Gomes joined the EC committee as Choir Leader
St. Anthony’s Feast 2018
In 2018, St. Anthony Feast was celebrated on Saturday, June 16 at Immaculate Heart of Mary at 101 Birchmount Rd, Scarborough. The mass was celebrated by Bishop Paul Ponen Kubi c.s.c., bishop of Mymensigh. He was assisted by Fr. Robert Gomes c.s.c. from Montreal. About 350 devotees attended. In 2018, some more new members joined the Executive Committee. They are : Bina Shaha, Andreas Gomes and Joyce Gomes.
St. Anthony’s Feast 2019
In 2019, St. Anthony Feast was celebrated on Sunday, June 16 in St. Theresa’s Parish – Shrine of the Little Flower at 2559 Kingston Rd, Scarborough. It was celebrated by Bishop Theotonius Gomes c.s.c. Around 400 people from Bangladeshi Christian Community of Ontario attended. St. Anthony’s Novena Prayers was held from June 7-15. Novena prayers was held 8 days in St. Theresa’s Parish Church in person and one day in a devotee’s residence.
Guidelines
In 2016, Mr. Matthew Mendez drafted a guideline for the Executive committee members. It was revised several times and after a series of meetings and long discussions between the period December 2018 to June 2019, the guidelines was approved by the Executive Committee on June 23, 2019 at Bina Shaha’s residence in Etobicoke. According to the approved guidelines Saint Anthony Feast Organizing Committee’s name had been changed to Saint Anthony Community of Bangladesh, Ontario (SACBO). According to the guidelines Mr. Matthew Mendez was again selected to head the committee as convener. He reshuffled the committee according to the need of the feast program and interest of the committee members.
St. Anthony’s Feast 2020
Due to pandemic in 2020 St. Anthony ‘s Novena and Feast Mass was celebrated online. Online Novena Prayers took place from June 4-12. The mass was celebrated on Saturday, June 13 by Fr. Thomas Xavier Gomes c.s.c. in St. Joseph Oratory, Montreal. It was broadcast live via Sacbo Canada’s Facebook.
St. Anthony’s Feast 2021
As the pandemic continued St. Anthony ‘s Novena and Feast Mass was again celebrated online. Online Novena Prayers took place from June 4-12. The mass was celebrated on Sunday, June 13 by Fr. Thomas Xavier Gomes c.s.c. in St. Joseph Oratory, Montreal. It was broadcast live via Sacbo Canada’s Facebook.
St. Anthony’s Feast 2022
Saint Anthony Feast 2022 was celebrated at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, 3170 St. Clair Avenue East, Scarborough. The Feast Mass was celebrated by His Excellency Most Reverend Cardinal Patrick D’ Rozario c.s.c. Cardinal, Catholic Churches of Bangladesh and he was assisted by Reverend Fr. Thomas Xavier Gomes c.s.c. and Fr. Apu Solomon Rozario c.s.c.
St. Anthony’s Feast 2023
Saint Anthony’s Feast 2023 was celebrated on Sunday, June 25, 2023 at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, Toronto, Canada. The Feast Mass was celebrated by His Excellency Most Rev. Archbishop Lawrence Subrato Howlader c.s.c. It was con-celebrated by Rev. Father Thomas Xavier Gomes c.s.c. and Fr. Jerome Jose c.s.c, and assisted by Deacon Joy Biswas c.s.c. Novena Prayers took place between June 13 to June 21 in person in various locations in Scarborough, Etobicoke, Pickering and Barrie in interested Novena Hosts’ residences. In 2023, Thelma Gomes, Peter Paul D’ Costa, Shikta Rozario and Angelina Tanni Hazra joined the Executive Board.
St. Anthony’s Feast 2024
Saint Anthony’s Feast Mass is taking place on Sunday, June 23, 2024 in Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, in Scarborough. Fr. Thomas Xavier Gomes c.s.c. , Fr. Jerome Jose c.s.c. and Fr. John Chinnapan s.j. (Fr. Srijon) are celebrating the feast mass. Novena Prayers took place from June 11-19 in person in various locations in Scarborough, Etobicoke, Pickering and Barrie in devotees residences who volunteered to host the novena prayers.
Election of the Executive Committee:
Sunday, July 25, 2021, Ms. Janet Gomes was elected as the new Convener of the Executive Committee of Saint Anthony Community of Bangladesh (SACBO). Joyce Gomes was elected as Vice Convener. It is to be noted that Mr. Matthew Mendez had successfully served as a convener for the previous six years (June 2015-July 25, 2021). A Transmission Ceremony had taken place in Toronto on Sunday, September 12, 2021. Ms. Jharna Rozario and Diana Nelson joined the Executive Committee in 2021. The new convener, Ms. Janet Gomes reshuffled the Executive Committee in September and November 2021 as outlined in the SACBO Guidelines. The Executive Committee was reshuffled with Diana Nelson as Secretary,
Kalyani Rebeiro as Event Leader, Clarence Shankar Gomes as Asst. Event Leader, Andreas Gomes as Asst. Event Leader,
Clement Gomes as Treasurer, Bina Shaha as Liturgy Leader, Anjoli Mendez as Asst. Liturgy Leader, Jharna Rozario as Choir Leader, Benedict Shekhor Gomes as Asst. Choir Leader, Vincent Rebeiro as Hospitality Leader and Deepali Gomes as Asst. Hospitality Leader and Matthew Mendez as Publication Leader.
Executive Committee Members 2024
Over the years, some of the executive committee members have retired, and the present committee is holding the office as follows: Janet Gomes as Converner, Maryline Kalylani Rebeiro as Vice Convener, Secretary (vacant), Clement Gomes as Treasurer, Bina Shaha as Liturgy Leader, Anjoli Mendez as Asst. Liturgy Leader, Jharna Rozario as Choir Leader, Angelina Tanni Hazra as Asst. Choir Leader, Thelma Gomes as Event Leader, Loren Deepali Gomes as Asst. Event Leader, Vincent Rebeiro as Hospitality Leader, Matthew Mendez as Publication Leader and Peter Paul D’ Costa as Asst. Publication Leader.