Monday, June 13, 2011

Saint Anthony of Padua


Saint Anthony was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1195. Although associated in devotional prayer with the finding of lost objects, Saint Anthony was in fact an extremely gifted preacher and teacher of God’s word. He did seek out those lost in unbelief and denial and brought them back to the fold of faith by the power of the word he preached.

Saint Anthony of Padua or Anthony of Lisbon, O.F.M., (born Fernando Martins de Bulhes; c. 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. Though he died in Padua, Italy, he was born to a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal, which is where he was raised. Noted by his contemporaries for his forceful preaching and expert knowledge of Scripture, he was declared a saint almost immediately after his death and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1946. No other doctor resembled Jesus Christ to a certain degree as Anthony. He lived as Jesus in obscurity for many years. He became known quite suddenly and died the youngest of the male doctors, about Jesus' age.

The gospels of the four evangelists were the main sources that Anthony wholeheartedly pursued and lived. His insatiable thirst to understand, master, and live out the message and meaning of the words of Jesus, and imitate his life, were his consuming interest. No other doctor is depicted holding the Infant Jesus more than "Tony", as he is so affectionately named by many due to his great purity and innocence of heart. Unlimited miracles, even today, are attributed to his holy intercession when we turn to him in genuine prayer and faith. There is a lasting tradition of him helping us find lost items, people, and that includes discovering ourselves more profoundly, when we turn to him in faith, honesty, and love.


"He received in baptism the name of Ferdinand. Later writers of the fifteenth century asserted that his father was Martin Bouillon, descendant of the renowned Godfrey de Bouillon, commander of the First Crusade, and his mother, Theresa Tavejra, descendant of Froila I, fourth king of Asturia. Unfortunately, however, his genealogy is uncertain; all that we know of his parents is that they were noble, powerful, and God-fearing people, and at the time of Ferdinand's birth were both still young, and living near the Cathedral of Lisbon. Having been educated in the Cathedral school, Ferdinand, at the age of fifteen, joined the Canons Regular of St. Augustine, in the convent of St. Vincent, just outside the city walls (1210). Two years later to avoid being distracted by relatives and friends, who frequently came to visit him, he betook himself with permission of his superior to the Convent of Santa Croce in Cóimbra (1212), where he remained for eight years, occupying his time mainly with study and prayer. Gifted with an excellent understanding and a prodigious memory, he soon gathered from the Sacred Scriptures and the writings of the Holy Fathers a treasure of theological knowledge."

His legacy to the world, and his popularity even today, his intercession before God is beyond comparison and comprehension. He is the patron of untold causes and the church has lavished upon him the highest honors of sainthood almost before he died. He was canonized within a year of his death because of popular acclaim. This fact alone is unprecedented in the history of the Catholic Church. He is perhaps the most popular saint ever among the faithful of the church.

He died on June 13, 1231.

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