2016 Feast & Achievement Day

FEAST DAY OF ST ANTHONY OF PADUA 2016

 

On Friday June 10th, 2016, St. Anthony’s College celebrated Feast Day in honour of St. Anthony of Padua, with a Mass and an Achievement Function, followed by a special lunch.

Fernando Martins, who would later adopt the name Anthony, was born in 1195 at Lisbon, Portugal and died in Padua, Italy on June 13th, 1231 at age 36. He was canonized less than a year later, on May 30th, 1232 by Pope Gregory IX at Spoleto, Italy. Hailing from a wealthy family, his family desired that he become a nobleman, but he chose instead to enter the religious order of St Augustine at the age of 15. Two years later he moved to Coimbra, to avoid the distractions of his friends, and spent 9 years studying Augustinian theology. When the bodies of the first five Franciscan martyrs were returned to his monastery from Morocco, he was inspired to become a Franciscan priest, adopt the name “Anthony” and travel to Morocco to evangelize. He became ill and decided to return to Portugal. On the way back home, he was shipwrecked in Sicily. Some years later, he moved to Sao Paolo where he lived in a cave, praying and studying continuously, leaving only to attend Mass and sweep the nearby monastery. One day, in 1222, when the Franciscan and Dominican Friars could not agree on a speaker for an ordination, St. Anthony was called upon to speak by the head of the Franciscan hermitage. Notwithstanding his initial reluctance, he went on to deliver a powerful message and leave a lasting impression on his audience. From that moment onwards, he became a well-renowned speaker, preacher and teacher, speaking multiple languages to spread the message of God throughout Italy and France. It is said that even fishes listened to him when men wouldn’t. He was proclaimed “Doctor Evangelicus” on January 16th, 1946 by Pope Pius XII. He is also known as the “finder of lost articles” as he is credited with finding lost things and lost people.  Additionally, he is regarded as a marriage saint because of legends of him reconciling couples. Many years after his death, it was discovered that his tongue never decayed even though the rest of his body did.

 

The students of forms 1 to 4 at St, Anthony’s College were admonished on Feast Day, to follow the example of this saint. They were advised to use their speech for good, for uplifting their school mates when they face trials in this life, and for engendering pride in their school. In this way, they would be emulating the saint whom their school is named after, and following a fine example of what young men of God should be. They were also reminded of the many achievements of the school that make it a place to be proud of. They celebrated the achievements of their present school mates, who received medals, trophies and other awards for their excellent performance during the 2015/2016 school year, and of their longest serving teachers. The awardees are outlined below:

 

Awards for excellent academic performance:

Form One – Liam Mohammed, Kirk Gopaul and Nicolai Cadogan.

Form Two- Jahmai George, Rad Robinson and Quashawn Mayers.

Form Three – Emmanuel Trim, Marcus Sutherland and Zyon Bruce.

Best Academic Performance Overall – Liam Mohammed

First Place in CSEC – Matthaeus Zidane Granger

First Place in CAPE – Yehu Elisha Carrington

Principal’s Award for Academic Performance – Yehu Elisha Carrington.

 

Awards for Most Valuable Player in various sports:

Athletics – Kobe John

Cricket – Antonio Lochan

Football – Kwesi Allen

Hockey – Jovan Wren

Swimming – David Wiltshire

 

Young Leaders Awards:

Marcus Sutherland, Kadiri Cumberbatch, Tyrese Constantine, Shakir Clapham and Keithon Edwards-Riley.

 

Paul Borely Award for the student who best exhibited the spirit and ideals of St. Anthony’s College:

Jhadana Lopez

 

Two teachers who gave 33 1/3 years of service to St. Anthony’s College were also honoured. They are Mrs. Lyn Murray and Ms. Deborah Karam-Nahous.

 

After feasting on a delicious meal with their teachers and other members of staff, the students returned to their various homes. It is hoped that St. Anthony left an indelible mark on their hearts and minds so that they too would become known for excellent speech in which they uplift their fellow man and spread the good news of the gospel wherever they go. It is also hoped that the achievement of their peers would inspire each one of them to maximize the potential given generously to them by Almighty God.

 

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