Anthony of Padua was born in 1195 and raised by a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal. He died in Padua, Italy in 1231. He was celebrated by his peers for his powerful preaching, detailed knowledge of scripture, and boundless love and devotion to the poor and sick. He was one of the most quickly canonized saints in church history and was proclaimed Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII in 1946.
His noble family arranged for him to be instructed at the local cathedral school in Lisbon. He entered the Augustinian order at the Abbey of St. Vincent on the outskirts of Lisbon but asked to be transferred to the motherhouse of the Holy Cross in Coimbra, (at that time the capital of Portugal), where he studied Latin and theology.
After his ordination to the priesthood in 1214, he set out for Morrocco where he became seriously ill. He set sail back to Portugal in hope of regaining his health. On his return voyage the ship went off course and wound up in Sicily. From Sicily he traveled to Tuscany but was finally assigned to the hermitage of San Paolo near Forli, Romagna where he had access to a cell one of the friars had made in a nearby cave. There he spent time in private prayer and study. Inspired by the work of the new Franciscan order, Anthony obtained permission to join them at a small heritage in Olivais.
In 1222 in the town of Forli a number of Dominican friars were present for the occasion of an ordination and a misunderstanding arose as to who should preach. The Franciscans expected that one of the Dominicans would occupy the pulpit. The Dominicans, however, thought a Franciscan would deliver the homily. Anthony was thought to be the most qualified homilist present and so was prevailed upon to preach “whatever the Holy Spirit might inspire.” His impromptu sermon moved the audience, impressing them with his rich voice, arresting eloquent manner, and deep knowledge of scripture.
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Statue of Anthony Padua with the infant Jesus Christ
File Photo
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The traditional practice of praying to him for help in finding lost items is traced to an incident which occurred in Bologna. According to the story Anthony had a book of psalms very dear to him which was taken by a novice who had chosen to leave the order. Anthony prayed that his book would be found or returned, after which the thief returned it and decided to rejoin the order. Numerous miracles were attributed to him during his lifetime.
Anthony was a simple and humble friar who preached the Good News lovingly and with fearless courage. He was a man of great penance and apostolic zeal and became one of the great preachers and theologians of his day. At the papal court of Pope Gregory IX his preaching was hailed as a “jewel case of the Bible” and Gregory IX acclaimed him “Ark of the Testament.”