Interior of St Mark’s Basilica seen from the South side of the transept at the end of Solemn 10:00 AM Sunday Mass.
(Vincent Cavanagh © 2023)

Grabbing a slice to eat for lunch from a Venetian hole-in-the-wall with the splintered-for-lunch pilgrim group.
(Vincent Cavanagh © 2023)

[Video]
A reverent demonstration of the acoustics inside the Church of the Eremitani (the Church of the Hermits) in Padua led by (then) Bishop Anthony Randazzo.
(Vincent Cavanagh © 2023)

Vincent Cavanagh
23 July 2026

An oblique view of the famous ‘Untitled (Lamp/Bear)’ by Urs Fischer in Doha’s Hamad International Airport as our group filled in the time before our connecting flight arrived.
​(Vincent Cavanagh © 2023)

View of our connecting flight to Italy from the window of the airport transfer bus as it made its way to park at the foot of the boarding stairs. I do not envy all the tarmac staff working that day. The heat was horrendous.
​(Vincent Cavanagh © 2023)

And arriving at our accommodation in Padua (Padova) after the long coach ride from Milan's Malpensa Airport.
​(Vincent Cavanagh © 2023)

Vincent Cavanagh
22 July 2026

​Vincent Cavanagh
23 July 2023, 7:30 AM Padua–Venice time | 3:30 PM Sydney time.

For the 2nd half of our day (23 July) in the Veneto region, we returned to Padova (Padua) to visit and pray in the Basilica of St Anthony.
 
St Anthony is more than just the stereotype of: Patron of lost car keys. He is the Patron of all things and people who are lost. e.g., Lost faith, lost hope, family members who have fallen away from the faith, etc.
 
I can confirm that I did place my hand upon the coffin of St Anthony; saying a 'Thank You' on behalf of all those in my family, in my parish, and one former parish sacristan in particular.
 
After the Basilica, we then went by foot to the Scrovegni Chapel, stopping for a moment of prayer inside the next-door Church of the Eremitani (the Church of the Hermits), a former–Augustinian church from the 13th century.
 
It is still a – somewhat – active church. Sadly there are so few mass goers due to everyone in Padova going to St Anthony's, that it is used more for concert recitals than for religious services. However, the Blessed Sacrament is still reposed there upon the high altar.
 
(Yes, that does look very much like our bishop, sans cap, kneeling in the foreground.)
 
Finally we made our way into the Scrovegni Chapel after having been dehumidified in the external Glass Waiting Room. I won't beat around the bush, I wasn't especially "wowed" by the Chapel. In it and Giotto's defense, I will say that trying to soak in the surroundings whilst listening to our wonderful tour guide be effusive over the artwork was, for me, a no-goal. To be fair, it was late in the afternoon, the light quality was low, and my adrenalin tank was near empty.
 
The conservation–enforced 15 minute viewing time within the Chapel, while possible enough for the average visitor, was not enough for this little artist to fully slow down and give both Giotto and his disciples’ work the attention and openness of heart and mind that they truly deserve.

​
St Anthony, help us to find our pilgrim hearts and minds, help us to experience what we are meant to in our God–caused journey. Amen.
 
 
Vincent Cavanagh   #bbwyd
24 July 2023
9:18am, Italy | 5.18pm Sydney

When Anthony met Anthony
The chap with the blue cap is Bishop Anthony Randazzo, bishop of Broken Bay diocese.
In front of him is the façade of the basilica of St Anthony in Padua, where the body of St Anthony resides.
This is the St Anthony with an extraordinary gift of preaching and love for the Word of God. He is the one we yelp out to for heavenly help when we have lost something of value.

​Inside the Scrovegni Chapel
This chapel is in Padua, and the frescos around the chapel are by the early Renaissance artist Giotto.
The very large fresco at the end of the chapel is of the Last Judgement. Jesus is in the centre. To His left and right are the Apostles, above on both sides are the Angels. Down on the left are the Saints, and on the right is a depiction of hell, with a big dividing line in the form of a crucifixion cross between them.

​It's travel to Florence day
After a night’s sleep and breakfast, we are ready to load up the coaches with our bags. Today we are going to Florence via Ravenna and Bologna. As you can see the traditional WYD accompaniment of music has already begun. If you look closely you can see the yellow cloth tags for the yellow bus, the red cloth tags for the red bus, and the green cloth tags for the green bus. Facing us – without a guitar – is Oliver from my small group, and also from my parish back home.

​
Vincent Cavanagh #bbwyd
24 July 2023 
7.15am Padua | 3.15pm Sydney