St. Anthony Chapel
Pakala, Manjarpalke
The miraculous statue
Long ago, before buses and roads, fisherwomen walked from village to village, trading their catch for rice, vegetables and firewood. One evening, resting at the Pakala home of Francis D'Silva, they found their bundle of firewood too heavy to lift. When they emptied it, they found inside a small wooden statue of St. Anthony. They left it behind and went home.
The D'Silva family kept the statue with great reverence, and devotion grew from one generation to the next. Favours were received by Christians and by neighbours of other faiths alike. It is told that a bullock cart driven carelessly across the entrance would not move at all until those on it asked St. Anthony's pardon and offered oil for his lamp. After that, people of every faith came to pray.
A chapel for everyone
Around 1970 the people of Pakala, with the parish priest Fr. N. J. Pereira, resolved to give St. Anthony a public place of prayer. A small chapel was built, and on 13 July 1974 it was blessed and opened. Today devotees come from morning to evening to pray and light candles, and travellers stop on the highway to bow their heads.
Who was St. Anthony?
Born in Lisbon in 1195 and baptised Ferdinand, he gave up his family's wealth to become a Franciscan, taking the name Anthony. A gifted preacher, he died at Padua on 13 June 1231 and was declared a saint within a year. He is loved as the patron of lost things and the saint of miracles.
Where
Pakala, Manjarpalke
About 2 km from the church, towards Karkala, on the road from Padubidri to Karkala.
Get directionsServices
Tuesdays at 4:00 PM
Every Tuesday.
Annual feast
13 June
The feast of St. Anthony
Known to many of every faith as Pakala Dever, the miraculous statue of St. Anthony draws devotees here every day.