St. Anthony of Padua

His life

Anthony was born Fernando Martins de Bulhões to a wealthy Lisbon family and first joined the Canons Regular of St. Augustine. After seeing the bodies of five Franciscan friars martyred while preaching to Muslims brought home, he joined the Franciscans, seeking the simplicity and readiness to die for Christ that St. Francis modeled, and took the name Anthony.

Though quiet by nature, when his superiors called on him to preach, his eloquence and knowledge of Scripture quickly made him known. St. Francis appointed him to teach theology to the friars. He preached widely to rich and poor, fought heresy, and denounced luxury, avarice and tyranny. Because he could penetrate Scripture with precision yet explain it to ordinary people, he was named a Doctor of the Church.

He is often shown holding the Child Jesus, after a pious legend that the Christ Child appeared to him near the end of his life.

Miracles

• The fishes: when the people of Rimini refused to listen, he preached to the sea, and a great school of fish gathered as if to listen; the townspeople repented.
• His father's innocence: when his father was falsely convicted of murder in Lisbon, Anthony is said to have traveled miraculously from Padua, had the body exhumed, and asked the dead youth who killed him; the young man named his murderer, cleared Anthony's father, confessed, and lay back down dead.

Patron of lost items

According to legend, a departing novice stole Anthony's commentary. Anthony prayed for its return, and the novice, caught in a terrible storm he took as God's wrath, brought it back.

Prayer to St. Anthony: St. Anthony, perfect imitator of Jesus, who received from God the special power of restoring lost things, grant that I may find [name the item] which has been lost. At least restore to me peace and tranquility of mind, the loss of which has afflicted me even more than my material loss. To this favor, I ask another of you: that I may always remain in possession of the true good that is God. Let me rather lose all things than lose God, my supreme good. Let me never suffer the loss of my greatest treasure, eternal life with God. Amen.

Novena to St. Anthony: O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of saints, your love for God and charity for his creatures made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me [mention your request here]. O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen. (Then pray an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be. Repeat daily for nine days.)