Jun

13

St. Anthony of Padua

June 13, 2008 |

St. Anthony of Padua (Portugal/Italy, 1195-1231) must have been THE celebrity of his age, even as a Franciscan friar.  He was a well-known preacher who traveled throughout northern Italy and parts of western Europe.  He was appointed as a professor of theology by St. Francis of Assisi.  He was admired by Pope Gregory IX.  When he died, the entire town of Padua, his adopted hometown, turned out to mourn him.  He was declared a saint one-year after his death.  Not bad for a guy who lived all of 36 years. 

And it’s hard to really imagine just how popular he was with the laity.  Take this excerpt from Catholic Culture and The One Year Book of Saints by Rev. Clifford Stevens -

“St. Anthony of Padua was such a forceful preacher that shops closed when he came to town, and people stayed all night in church to be present for his sermons.”

Imagine, people taking off of work for something other than a ballgame; people staying up all night (in church nonetheless) to see someone other than Hannah Montana or something other than the newest video game or telecom gadget. 

Today, St. Anthony is still very popular and prayed to by the young and old - “St. Anthony, St. Anthony, please come down.  Something is lost and can’t be found.”  I almost feel embarrassed at how frequently St. Anthony has to spend some time at our house.

There is also the typical image of him - he conversing with the child Jesus.  It was said that someone looked through the window where St. Anthony was staying and saw the two having a little chat.  And, I bet that St. Anthony’s piety was such a given that the person looking in the window didn’t think twice about what he was seeing, and others didn’t think it unusual when told about it.

St. Anthony was just one of those special guys.  He knew what God wanted from him and he did it to perfection.  His life was spent in fulfilling his passion for Christ and leading others to live that same passion.  In his life, he was recognized far and wide; in death, to this day, he is looked upon with a fondness that somehow transcends ages.  And the Church extols him in a special place among the Canon of Saints by calling him a Doctor of the Church (named by Pope Pius XII in 1946).

Now, if only I could remember where I put my car keys? 


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