On the Feast Day of Saint Anthony of Padua large numbers of people living Molise brought home-made panini to church in large baskets which the local priests then blessed during Mass. After the mass ended the blessed bread would be given away to relatives and/or to those who had attended the church service.... According to my mother this feast day was not marked with special foods. Of course, there were the usual festivities where townspeople congregated outdoors and had a good time. Generally, people brought their own food and ate it picnic-style.... According to my mother on the Feast Day of Saint Anthony of Padua (June 13th) horses were blessed by local church dignitaries on a hill near her home. She doesn't recall any other animals being present when the blessing was given, but then she is not 100 per cent sure that this was so. I believe my late aunt said that all kinds of animals were present, including pigs and sheep, but then I could be wrong about what she said (It was such a long time ago!)....Photo: Mary Melfi.

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