BOSTON — To commemorate St. Francis Week at Saint Anthony Shrine here, a commissioned statue of the patron saint was unveiled and dedicated on Sept. 25.
The statue was displayed during morning prayer by John Maganzini, OFM, and Richard Flaherty, OFM, who invited all friars to extend their hands in the blessing.
They prayed: “Today we praise you for the gifts of the Spirit bestowed on St. Francis of Assisi, in whose honor we dedicate this statue. May we follow in the footsteps of the Lord, keeping before us the example of St. Francis. May we proclaim his Gospel as Francis did, by word and deed, and shouldering our crosses daily, expend ourselves for others in your service.”
Inspiration for the artwork was the statue of a kneeling St. Francis that is outside St. Francis of Assisi Church in Midtown Manhattan, according to John. It was created by two artists from Woburn, Mass., Robert Shure and Jeff Buscocio.
The statue will be placed in the second floor church.