St. Anthony of Padua is one of the most loved saints in the world, the Church celebrates him on 13nd June. He is considered the protector of families, orphans and children in general, of marriageable girls, promises of marriage, pregnant women, travelers, animals, crops. Proclaimed a saint "by evidence" by Pope Gregory IX, just eleven months after his death, his is the fastest case of canonization in history.
From Fernando to Antonio
Sant'Antonio da Padova was born in Lisbon (Portugal) in 1195, from a noble family. His first name is Fernando and he is the eldest son of the knight Martino Alfonso de 'Bulhones (de' Buglioni), commander of the first crusade. He takes his vows very young. At the age of 15 he entered the Abbey of San Vincenzo in Lisbon to become an Augustinian monk. He stayed there for eight years and began his theological studies. In 1219, while staying in Coimbra, he learned the story of five Franciscans, sent by Francis of Assisi as missionaries to Morocco, to convert Muslims to Christianity. When their beheaded bodies are brought back to the city, the young priest decides to leave the Augustinian order. He enters the Franciscan one and asks to be able to leave as a missionary in Africa. Change the name from Fernando to Antonio, keeping the etymological meaning unchanged. Indeed Fernando means “bold, courageous in peace”, Antonio means “courageous, priceless who fights for peace”.
He meets Francis of Assisi
Antonio goes to preach in Morocco. Here he falls seriously ill and decides to return to Portugal. During the voyage at sea, a storm sinks the ship which is wrecked on the coasts of eastern Sicily. Here, together with the brother who was traveling with him, he learns that, in Assisi, Francis has summoned his friars on the occasion of Pentecost. To participate in this exceptional event, which will be remembered as the "Chapter of Mats", the two face a long journey on foot. In the Umbrian city, Antonio personally knows San Francesco.
Great preacher
Transferred to Forlì, Antonio had the opportunity to make his skills as a preacher known, and this fame brought him to the south of France and northern Italy. He stands proudly against heretics, he also becomes very famous for his healing miracles, conversions and dialogues with animals. Falling ill, in 1231 he retired to Camposampiero, near Padua, where in June he died at the convent of dell'Arcella. Canonized by Gregory IX less than a year after his death, in 1946 he was proclaimed a doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII. According to popular tradition, on his death the bells of Padua and Lisbon began to ring without anyone touching them.
The party
Sant'Antonio is celebrated all over the world on June 13th. In Padua and Lisbon, the two cities that have always contended for it, is a patronal feast. On this solemn day, dozens of weddings are celebrated in the cathedral of the Portuguese city. Celebrations and pilgrimages also take place in Padua, in the basilica of the saint built in 1307, which houses his remains. Here, the feast is preceded by the "thirteen": a prayer that is recited for thirteen days, until the day of the feast. This devotion originates from the popular belief that the saint grants thirteen graces to his devotees every day.
Miracles
Saint Anthony is known as the saint of miracles, or the thaumaturge, the one who performs wonders. Among his extraordinary miracles, one cannot fail to remember that of the mule who kneels in front of the consecrated host converting a heretic, or that of the fishes that resurface from the water to listen to his words. Loved by all, he is a popular saint, invoked by people for great and small needs. Each church has a statue or at least an image of it. St. Anthony is represented with a lily, a symbol of purity and nobility of soul, a book, a symbol of his knowledge, and with the Child Jesus in his arms, in memory of a vision.
(Photo: Pontifical Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua Facebook page)
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