Our patron saint is Saint Anthony of Padua. He is the saint of lost or stolen articles and saint of the poor and of travelers.
His connection to lost and stolen things occurred as the result of his loss of a prized psalter he had annotated with his own notes and comments when a novice in his order departed the community and took the book with him. Anthony prayed that it would be found and returned, and after this prayer the novice was moved to return the psalter and to return to the order, which accepted him back.
In his life Anthony lived the Gospel call to leave everything and follow Jesus and did so with steady courage through all his life’s vicissitudes. Though he lived a short 36 years he lived it as God called him to, loving and forgiving, concerned first with the needs of others.
Saint Anthony was born in Portugal in 1195 and entered the religious Order of Saint Augustine at age 15. Though born into a prominent Lisbon family, he forsook luxury and advantage and, following the call of God, he first set out to preach to the Moors. Illness caused him to seek new ways to serve, and his path took him to Italy, where he came to a small hermitage and spent his time praying, teaching and doing menial labor.
God was with him when, at an ordination where no one was prepared to speak, he accepted the task and amazed all who were present with an inspired sermon. This was the catalyst for further personal and spiritual development, and he became recognized as a great man of prayer and a great scholar, becoming the first friar to teach to other friars. He was shortly called to preach and convert throughout France and Italy, leading many to Christ and persuading others to return to Christ. These efforts for Christ ultimately lead him to his final home in Padua, Italy.
Though he lived a relatively short life, this Franciscan preacher and teacher responded to Jesus’ call again and again with zeal and self-sacrifice. He still inspires us to live what every Christian is meant to live: a life of courage, love and forgiveness.