Life of Saint Anthony
Early Life
Saint Anthony of Padua is one of the most popular saints in the church. He is the patron of lost and stolen things. He was a great preacher and teacher. His intercessory power before our God is awesome.
St. Anthony was born in Lisbon in 1195 and was baptized “Ferdinand.” His parents were of nobility. He was privileged to receive his early education at the cathedral school of Lisbon.
At the age of 15, Ferdinand joined the Canons Regular of St. Augustine in Lisbon. Two years later, he transferred to the monastery in Coimbra where he studied diligently and, being gifted with an excellent memory, he attained an excellent knowledge of theology, sacred Scripture and the Church fathers. In 1220, he joined the Order of Friars Minor, the Franciscans, and took the name “Anthony.”
Powerful Preacher
St. Anthony was a powerful preacher. He was assigned to preach in different parts of Italy. He was known for his eloquent and compelling preaching. St. Anthony exhorted the faithful to conversion, laity and clergy alike. He preached against the vices of luxury, greed and cruelty. He also converted many heretics to the faith with his solid, persuasive and compassionate arguments. He was especially noted for his defense of the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, the Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Mary, and the infallibility of the Pope. At the end of his life, 30,000 people would gather in Padua to listen to his sermon; many were moved to repentance that more priests had to be found to hear confessions.
Miracle Worker
Several miracles are attributed to St. Anthony during his lifetime. One famous miracle involved the defense of the Real Presence of the Holy Eucharist. A Jewish merchant challenged St. Anthony to prove the “fable” of the holy Eucharist and devised a contest. The merchant would starve a donkey for three days, denying it any kind of food. Meanwhile, St. Anthony retreated to the forest where he would fast and pray for three days. At the end of the three days, St. Anthony returned to town, and went to the church where he obtained the Blessed Sacrament. He then went to the town square where the donkey was. The merchant placed a bale of hay 20 feet from the hungry donkey. The donkey was untied and walked toward the hay. St. Anthony then exposed the Blessed Sacrament and called to the donkey, “Mule, in the name of the Lord our God, I command you to come here and adore your Creator!” The donkey stopped as though someone had pulled him by a bridle, turned and walked to St. Anthony. The donkey bent his forelegs, bowing to the Blessed Sacrament with his head toward the ground. The Jewish merchant was astonished, asked St. Anthony for forgiveness and converted. These and other miracles during and after St. Anthony’s death merited him the name, “Miracle Worker.”
Friend of Infant Jesus
St. Anthony also received an apparition of the Infant Jesus. St. Anthony, before going to bed for the night, was reading his Bible. Suddenly, the Infant Jesus appeared resting on the Bible and in the arms of St. Anthony. The Infant Jesus stroked St. Anthony’s face. Here the word of God appeared to the man who had so well preached His word. For this reason, most images of St. Anthony depict him holding a Bible with the Infant Jesus.
Patron of Lost Things
St. Anthony is invoked as the patron saint of lost things. A little jingle goes like this: “St. Anthony, please look around; something is lost and must be found.” This attribution comes from an incident where a novice carried off a valuable psalter St. Anthony was using. St. Anthony prayed very hard that the psalter would be found. After seeing an alarming apparition of St. Anthony, the novice returned the psalter. However, many suggest he is more importantly the patron of lost souls — those who have fallen to mortal sin, have abandoned the Church and have grown apathetic to the practice of the faith.
His Last days
This beloved saint died on June 13, 1231 at the age of 36. Right before his death, he went to confession, sang a hymn to the Blessed Mother, and was anointed; he was asked, “Do you see anything?” to which he replied, “I see my Lord.” Upon his death, the children of Padua ran through the streets, crying, “The holy Father is dead. St. Anthony is dead.” Thirty years after his burial, the vault was opened and his body had deteriorated to dust except for his tongue, which remained preserved and incorrupt: St. Bonaventure took the tongue in his hands and kissed it, exclaiming, “O Blessed tongue that always praised the Lord, and made others bless Him, now it is evident what great merit thou hast before God.” Moreover, to this day, many faithful have received miracles at the tomb of St. Anthony in Padua.
Pope Pius XII declared St. Anthony a Doctor of the Church on January 16, 1946. His apostolic letter began as follows: “Exult, happy Portugal, rejoice, happy Padua; for you have given birth for earth and heaven to a shining star, a man who has illuminated and still dazzles with a radiant light the whole earth, not only by holiness of life and fame of miracles, but by the splendor of his celestial teaching.”