Discover the inspiring life, mission and miracles of St. Antony of Padua, the beloved miracle worker and patron saint of lost things.
St. Antony of Padua was born on 15 August 1195 in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. His parents were Martin and Teresa. At baptism, he was given the name Fernando.
Teresa, a strong believer, dedicated her son to the Blessed Virgin Mary. From his childhood, Fernando was known for his devotion, kindness and love for others.
St. Antony's life continues to inspire millions through his powerful preaching, deep faith, compassion and miraculous intercession.
At the age of seven, his parents sent him to a nearby cathedral school where he received Christian education and spiritual training.
As he entered adulthood, Fernando wished to stay away from worldly pleasures. At the age of fifteen, he joined the congregation of St. Augustine.
Fernando later moved from the Augustinian monastery in Lisbon to Coimbra. His holiness, wisdom and purity were admired by everyone around him.
After witnessing the remains of five Franciscan martyrs brought from Morocco, he desired to dedicate his life completely to God.
In July 1220, he joined the Franciscan Order and took the name Antony. Four months later, Antony travelled to Morocco with the desire to preach the Gospel and become a martyr.
Due to illness, he was forced to return. During this period, he attended a Franciscan gathering in Assisi and met St. Francis of Assisi.
Recognising Antony's wisdom and devotion, his superiors appointed him to preach the Gospel. He preached in France and throughout several cities in Italy.
His words carried a divine charm, and believers travelled from distant places to listen to his preaching.
During his lifetime, St. Antony performed many miracles and became known throughout the world as the Miracle Worker. Traditions associated with his life speak of healing the sick, raising the dead, preaching to the fish and being present in two places at the same time.
Padua became the principal place of his missionary work. He wished to spend his final days there. On his journey back to Padua, his illness became severe near Arcella. St. Antony entered eternal life on 13 June 1231 at the age of thirty-five.
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Every Year
A special nine-Tuesday devotion seeking the intercession of St. Antony.
The Novena day of St. Antony is observed on Tuesday. According to tradition, Tuesday was the day St. Antony was buried and the miracles at his tomb began.
The beginning of the novena is connected with the story of a childless couple. After many years of longing for a child, the wife brought her troubles before St. Antony.
For nine consecutive Tuesdays, visit the Franciscan chapel, receive the holy sacraments, pray with faith, and what you ask shall be granted.
The couple faithfully followed the devotion and was blessed with a child. In 1898, Pope Leo XIII further encouraged this devotion by granting spiritual benefits to those who prayed in honour of St. Antony for consecutive Tuesdays.
St. Antony is widely invoked as the patron saint of lost things. This devotion can be traced back to an incident in the saint's own life.
St. Antony had a favourite book of Psalms which was extremely valuable to him. Since this was before the invention of printing, the book was hand-written and contained his personal notes used for teaching students in the Franciscan Order.
A novice who was leaving the community was suspected of taking the Psalter. Antony prayed for its return. Shortly afterwards, the novice returned the book and asked Antony's forgiveness.
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