Media Release

Dornahalli (Mysuru), May 30: The annual feast of the world-renowned St Anthony’s Basilica, the Wonder Worker, Dornahalli, Mysuru, will be celebrated with great devotion and religious fervour from June 4 to 13.

St Anthony’s Basilica, Dornahalli, one of the most prominent pilgrimage centres in the diocese of Mysore, is preparing to host the annual feast celebrations with grandeur.

The celebrations will commence with the ceremonial Flag Hoisting on Thursday, June 4, at 5:30 pm by Dr Francis Serrao SJ, bishop of the diocese of Mysore. The novena preparations leading up to the feast will include daily Masses and preaching services. An English Mass will be held at 7:00 am, while Kannada Masses will be celebrated at 11:00 am and 5:30 pm each day.

The Feast Day celebrations on Saturday, June 13, will feature a Festive High Mass at 10:00 am in Kannada, to be presided over by Dr Francis Serrao SJ, bishop of Mysore.

Thousands of devotees from various parts of Karnataka and neighbouring states are expected to participate in the annual celebrations, seeking the intercession and blessings of St Anthony of Padua, who is known for the numerous favours and miracles attributed to him.

The Basilica administration has made elaborate arrangements to facilitate pilgrims and devotees during the feast celebrations.

The invitation to the feast has been extended by Fr David Sagayaraj, rector of St Anthony’s Basilica, Dornahalli, along with Fr Praveen Pedru, administrator of the Basilica.

St Anthony’s Basilica, Dornahalli, has a long and remarkable history rooted in faith and devotion. Around 220 years ago, a farmer, while tilling his field, discovered a wooden statue believed to possess miraculous powers. It was later identified as a statue of St Anthony of Padua. As devotion to the saint grew and devotees began flocking to the site, a small shrine was constructed in 1920 by the then parish priest, Fr S D’Silva, with the support of the Dewan of Mysore Palace, Thambu Chetty, and his brother, Dharmaraj Chetty.

With the increasing number of pilgrims and reports of miracles, the need for a larger church arose. Under the leadership of Fr I H Lobo, construction of the present church began in 1964. The newly built church was blessed and inaugurated on June 13, 1969, by Dr Matthias Fernandez, the then bishop of Mysore.

In recognition of its spiritual significance and the devotion of the faithful, the church was granted the status of a ‘Minor Basilica’ by Pope Francis on October 17, 2019. The declaration was officially announced on June 9, 2020, by Dr K A William, bishop of Mysore, during a Thanksgiving Mass.