India: Nashik Shrine of St. Anthony Emerges as New Pilgrimage Center during Franciscan Jubilee Year

A Franciscan-run shrine dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua in western India is emerging as a new center of pilgrimage after being designated a House of Plenary Indulgence during the Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi.

The Shrine of St. Anthony of Padua is located at Sanjeevan Ashram in Lonarwadi, Sinnar, in Nashik district of Maharashtra state, about 180 kilometers northeast of Mumbai.

Originally established in the 1980s as an Indian-style ashram by Spanish Jesuit missionary Fr. Pere (Peter) Julià Mayol, SJ, popularly known among local people as Swami Shilananda or "Lal Baba," the center has long served as a place of prayer and spiritual renewal. The missionary lived and worked in India from 1948 until his death in 2017.

In 2019, the Diocese of Nashik entrusted the ashram to the Order of Friars Minor (OFM), commonly known as the Franciscans, under an agreement initiated by the former Bishop Lourdes Daniel. The agreement called for establishing a shrine dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua and promoting devotion to the popular Franciscan saint.

Since assuming responsibility for the ashram, the Franciscans have developed the shrine and installed a statue of St. Anthony imported from Portugal.

As part of the 2026 Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi, observed from Jan. 10, 2026, to Jan. 10, 2027, the Franciscans organized a solemn nine-day novena in honor of St. Anthony, inviting parishes across the Diocese of Nashik to participate.

On June 4, Bishop Barthol Barretto of Nashik inaugurated the novena with the celebration of the Eucharist and officially declared Sanjeevan Ashram and the Shrine of St. Anthony of Padua a House of Plenary Indulgence for the jubilee year.

The bishop explained that pilgrims may obtain the plenary indulgence by making a pilgrimage to the shrine, being free from attachment to sin, receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Eucharist, and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father. The indulgence may also be offered for the faithful departed.

The decree also extends the spiritual benefits of the jubilee to those unable to travel. The sick, elderly, and homebound may receive the plenary indulgence by spiritually participating in the jubilee and offering their prayers, sufferings, or daily hardships to God.

The feast of St. Anthony on June 13 concluded with a solemn Mass celebrated by Bishop Lancy Pinto of the Diocese of Aurangabad.

Several pilgrims shared testimonies of answered prayers during the celebrations.

One choir member recounted how his brother, who had been missing for four days, was found shortly after he prayed before St. Anthony during the feast Mass.

“We believe that St. Anthony is truly present in this shrine. God be praised in all His saints,” he said.

Another pilgrim, Olinda Soares from Ponda in the western Indian state of Goa, said she recovered a valuable item that had been missing for nearly a year after praying at the shrine. She later contacted the Franciscans to request a Mass of thanksgiving in honor of St. Anthony.

Speaking to RVA, Fr. Basil Lobo, OFM, who oversees the mission, said the Franciscans hope to further develop the site into a major pilgrimage destination.

“We hope this holy place will continue to grow so that many more faithful may experience God's mercy and blessings,” he said.

He said the Franciscans are planning to establish a Franciscan Pilgrimage Center with accommodation for pilgrims and facilities for retreats, catechetical programs, Small Christian Community meetings, marriage preparation courses, youth formation, and seminars for laypeople and religious.

“Our dream is to fulfill the vision of the former Bishop Lourdes Daniel by developing this shrine into a vibrant center of pilgrimage and evangelization,” Fr. Lobo said.