St. Anthony of Padua

St. Anthony of Padua
(c. 1193-1231)

St. Anthony of Padua, Franciscan friar and priest, Doctor of the Church, was born in Lisbon to a noble family. He joined the friars in 1220 and sailed to Ceuta, Morocco, with the mission of preaching among the Moors. He had to return to Europe because of ill health. In 1221 he took part in the General Chapter of Assisi. One day he showed an incomparable talent in preaching and that became his main activity. It is said that St. Francis himself chose him to teach theology to the friars at Bologna and Padua. Later he preached in France, Spain, and Italy attracting huge congregations wherever he went.
When heard at the papal court, his preaching was hailed as a “jewel case of the Bible”.
St. Anthony is the author of “Sermons for Sundays” and “Sermons for Feast Days”.
The last two years of his life he spent in Padua, preaching, hearing confessions and working to help the poor. He died in 1231 at Arcella, a suburb of Padua, where the friars directed a convent of Poor Clares, and buried in the Church of Our Lady in Padua.
The following year St. Anthony of Padua was canonized. He was above all the greatest preacher of the middle ages and one of the finest orators of all time.
St. Anthony of Padua is a patron saint of Brazil, his cult is also especially strong in France, Portugal, Ireland and the USA.
Feast day: 13 June.
Scenes from the Life of St. Anthony of Padua in the Scuola del Santo. The Scuola del Santo in Padua, the house where the brotherhood of St. Anthony met, was on the edge of the square in front of the Church of Our Lady, where the famous Franciscan saint was buried. In 1510/11 Titian, alongside other painters, worked to decorate two walls in the upper assembly room with frescoes depicting miracles from the saint’s life.
1. The Miracle of the Newborn Child. St. Anthony worked a miracle in which a newly born child spoke in defense of his mother, who had been accused of adultery.
2. The Healing of the Wrathful Son. St. Anthony reattached the foot of a young who had cut it off in an outburst of violent temper and had hurt his mother with it.
3. The Miracle of the Jealous Husband. A jealous husband stabs his wife and then, overcome with remorse, appeals to St. Anthony, who restores her to health.