St Anthony of Padua (Detail), Vincenzo Foppa, c. 1495-1500

Saint Anthony of Padua

Saint Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) was one of the first generation of the Franciscan Mendicant Friars. He was a preacher, theologian and teacher, and he is one of the most beloved saints. In his time he had an extraordinary gift of miracles, and ever after is known around the world for his remarkable intercessory powers before God. 

Saint Anthony reaped a richest harvest as an eloquent preacher, with a loud and clear voice, a winning countenance, wonderful memory, and profound learning. With the zeal of an apostle he undertook to reform the morality of his time by combating especially the vices of luxury, avarice and tyranny. He was fervent in the extinction of heresy, notably that of the Cathares and Patarines which infested central and northern Italy.

Saint Anthony had great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and she visibly came to the aid of her devoted and faithful servant on a number of occasions. Twice, in Brive, France, and in Padua, Italy, the demon assaulted the ardent preacher who had saved so many souls. During these diabolical attacks, St Anthony turned to the Blessed Virgin Mary and recited one of his favourite hymns, “O Glorious Lady". The Queen of Heaven appeared to him amid a dazzling light and put the devil to flight.

Our Divine Saviour also visited Saint Anthony. According to an ancient tradition, St. Anthony visited the home of the Lord of the Chateauneuf Lismoges region in France. This gentleman, amazed by the saint’s reputation, wanted to observe the behaviour of St. Anthony. At nightfall, he indiscreetly peeked through the keyhole into St. Anthony’s room. He was absolutely astonished by what he saw: The Infant Jesus resting in St. Anthony’s arms.

The innumerable benefits he has won for those who prayed to him have obtained for St Anthony the name of the "Wonder-working Saint." Events in his life include fish rising out of the water to hear him preach, a mule kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament as the saint carried it past (which converted its heretical owner to a belief in the Real Presence) and the restoration of the leg of a young man who had cut it off in remorse for having kicked his mother. For a while, he even preached at the Papal Court, where his preaching was described as a “jewel case of the Bible”. While St Anthony  was already famous for his preaching, his writing, and his life of holiness, he led the poor existence of a wandering friar for the last decade of his short life.

While St Anthony is most famous for being the patron saint of lost and stolen articles, he is also the patron saint of amputees, elderly people, oppressed people, poor people, barren and pregnant women, travellers, sailors and fishermen, shipwrecks, animals, horses, Brazil and many more. 'St. Anthony's Bread' is a term used for offerings made in thanksgiving to God for blessings received through the prayers of St. Anthony. 

Saint Anthony and the Mule, Grandes heures d'Anne de Bretagne, MS Latin 9474, fol. 187v, c. 1503-1508

Unfailing Prayer to St. Anthony

“Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints”

O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, 

your love for God and charity for His creatures, 

made you worthy, 

when on earth, 

to possess miraculous powers. 

Encouraged by this thought, 

I implore you to obtain for me (request).

O gentle and loving St. Anthony, 

whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, 

whisper my petition into the ears of the sweet Infant Jesus, 

who loved to be folded in your arms; 

and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. 

Amen.

Prayer for Inner Peace

Saint Anthony, faithful servant of Christ, you offered comfort and consolation to all who came to you in times of trouble. Pray for me now, that I may know true peace of mind, heart and soul. Help me grow in faith, so that I may be free from all useless and needless anxiety in this life.

Fill me with a complete and lasting confidence in God’s healing graces. Grant me the serenity known by those who let go of resentments, bitterness and anger. Reassure me that Our Divine Saviour, Jesus Christ, is with me every step of the way, every day of my life, and that in His gracious love I need not worry or fear any of life’s difficulties. Amen.

Prayer to Saint Anthony to Recover Lost Things

O blessed St. Anthony,
the grace of God has made you a powerful advocate
in all our needs and the patron
for the restoring of things lost or stolen.
I turn to you today with childlike love and deep confidence.
You have helped countless children of God
to find the things they have lost,
material things, and, more importantly,
the things of the spirit: faith, hope, and love.
I come to you with confidence;
help me in my present need.
I recommend what I have lost to your care,
in the hope that God will restore it to me,
if it is His holy Will. Amen.

The Motto of Saint Anthony

Popular tradition tells us that Saint Anthony gave a prayer to a poor woman who sought help against oppression by the devil. Pope Sixtus V (1521-1590), a Franciscan, engraved this prayer in Latin, which is  known as the ‘Motto of St. Anthony’ (also known as the 'Brief (Letter) of St Anthony'), at the base of the obelisk he erected in St. Peter's Square in Rome. 

This exorcizing proclamation may be carried on the person or placed in homes. It is also used in more specific situations, such as that encountered by the French seamen who found their ship tossed by an angry sea during a storm off Brittany's coast in 1708. One of the men wrote the words of St. Anthony's Brief, and threw it into the sea with a prayer to the Saint. Immediately, the seas calmed and the sailors were saved.

Memorare of Saint Anthony

Remember, O thou miracle-working Saint, that it never was heard that thou hast left without help or relief anyone who in his need had recourse to thee. Animated with the most lively confidence, nay, even with full conviction of not being refused, I fly for refuge to thee, O most favoured and blessed friend of the Infant Jesus! O eloquent preacher of the Divine mercies, despise not my supplications, but, bringing them before the Throne of God, strengthen them by thine intercession, and obtain for me what I ask – help and consolation in my need, O most glorious miracle-working  St. Anthony. Amen.

Saint Anthony of Padua, Tanzio da Varallo, c. 1617-1618

Prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Saint Anthony's Sermons

We praise you, Our Lady,

Our hope:
You, star of the sea, enlighten your children
overwhelmed by this stormy sea of sin;
let us reach the safe haven of forgiveness,
and, grateful for your protection,
may we conclude our lives

with the help of the One you carried in your womb
and fed by your holy breast.
May honour and glory
be with Him for ever and ever.

Vision of St. Anthony of Padua, Alonzo Cano, 1662

This Litany from prayinglatin.com.

St. Anthony Reading, Marco Antonio Bassetti, c. first half of 17th Century

Prayer of Thanksgiving to Saint Anthony

O glorious wonder-worker, Saint Anthony, father of the poor and comforter of the afflicted, thou who hast come with such loving solicitude to my assistance, and has comforted me so abundantly: behold me at thy feet to offer thee my heartfelt thanks. Accept, therefore, this offering and with it my earnest promise which I now renew, to live always in the love of Jesus and my neighbour. Continue to shield me graciously with thy protection, and obtain for me the final grace of being able one day to enter the kingdom of heaven, there to sing with thee the everlasting mercies of God. Amen. 

St. Anthony intercessor between Heaven (Christ Child) and humankind, sculpture (1995) by Lorenzo Quinn, in Cloister del Beato Luca Belludi, Basilica of St. Anthony, Padua, May 2019

Immaculate Queen of Peace, pray for us.