Have you ever been advised to pray to St. Anthony to help you find something you lost? Have you ever tried this? I have and, without fail, St. Anthony always helps me locate the missing item. Most often I find it within a few minutes after praying for help. Sometimes it takes a little longer, but I honestly cannot think of a time when I asked for help and didn't find the lost article.

Here are some facts about Saint Anthony of Padua - our “finder of lost articles.”

• Saint Anthony was born Ferdinand de Bulhoes in Lisbon, Portugal in 1195.
  
  
• Saint Anthony of Padua, a Doctor of the Church, was canonized less than one year after his death in 1231.
  
  
• Originally he joined the Augustinian Order, but left to join the Franciscan Order in 1221, at age 26.
  
  
• St. Bernard, St. Peter, St. Otho, St. Accursius and St. Adjutus , all who shed their blood for the Catholic Faith, inspired St. Anthony to join the Franciscans.
  
  
• He only lived ten years after joining the Franciscans.
  
  
• Saint Anthony was plagued with edema, also called dropsy, and died en route to Padua in 1231 at age 36.
  
  
• Pope Pius XII declared Saint Anthony a Doctor of the Church in 1946.
  
  
• Saint Anthony was an extraordinary preacher and teacher, and has been called the “Hammer of the Heretics” and “Living Ark of the Covenant.”
  
  
• Saint Anthony is the Patron Saint of the poor and oppressed.
  
  
• He is often depicted in art with the Infant Jesus, to whom he miraculously appeared.
  
  
• Around 336 years after his death his body was exhumed and found to be corrupted, yet his tongue was totally incorrupt – perfect, just as his teachings were.
  
  
• Saint Anthony’s feast day is June 13.

Saint Anthony -- Buy from Amazon - First feature length film based on the life of St. Anthony of Padua.
A Retreat With Anthony of Padua: Finding Our Way -- Buy from Amazon

Peace in Christ,
© Melissa Knoblett-Aman