Saint Anthony of Padua

Saint Anthony was born in Lisbon around the year 1195 into a noble family and was baptized with the name Fernando.

He entered the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine, first at the Monastery of Saint Vincent in Lisbon and later at the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Coimbra, one of the great cultural centres of Portugal.

He devoted himself diligently and perseveringly to the study of Sacred Scripture and the Fathers of the Church, acquiring a profound theological knowledge that later bore fruit in his teaching and preaching.

It was in Coimbra that an event took place which radically changed his life. In 1220, the relics of the first five Franciscan martyrs, who had gone to Morocco and suffered martyrdom there, were brought to the city.

Their example awakened in the young Fernando a deep desire to follow in their footsteps and to dedicate himself more completely to the path of Christian perfection.

He therefore asked to leave the Augustinian Canons and join the Friars Minor. His request was granted. He took the name Anthony and set out for Morocco, hoping to preach the Gospel there.

But Divine Providence had other plans.

Struck by illness, Anthony was forced to return to Europe in 1221. He eventually arrived in Italy, where he took part in the famous “Chapter of Mats” in Assisi and met Saint Francis.

Afterwards, he lived for some time in complete obscurity in a friary near Forlì, in northern Italy, until the Lord called him to a new mission.

Invited unexpectedly to preach on the occasion of a priestly ordination, Anthony revealed such extraordinary learning and eloquence that his superiors assigned him to the ministry of preaching.

Thus began an intense and fruitful apostolate throughout Italy and France. Through his preaching, many who had drifted away from the Church were moved to return to the faith.

Anthony was also one of the first teachers of theology among the Friars Minor, perhaps even the very first.

He began teaching in Bologna with the blessing of Saint Francis, who, recognizing Anthony’s virtues, sent him a brief letter beginning with these words:

“I am pleased that you teach theology to the brothers.”

Anthony thus helped lay the foundations of Franciscan theology, which would later be developed by other great figures and reach remarkable heights in Saint Bonaventure of Bagnoregio and Blessed John Duns Scotus.

Having become Provincial Superior of the Friars Minor in northern Italy, Anthony continued his preaching ministry while also carrying out the responsibilities of governing the Order.

When his term as Provincial came to an end, he withdrew to Padua, a city he had already visited several times.

About a year later, he died at the gates of the city on June 13, 1231.

Padua, which had welcomed him with affection and veneration during his lifetime, continued to honour him with lasting devotion after his death.

Pope Gregory IX, who had heard Anthony preach and had called him the “Ark of the Testament,” canonized him in 1232, following miracles attributed to his intercession.

The Church celebrates his feast on June 13.