St. Anthony of Padua, a Portuguese saint, was a skilled preacher who emphasized the joy of a Christ-based existence. He renounced wealth and is associated with purity, marriage, and finding lost things.
There are actually several well-known Saint Anthonys that represent very different things to the people who observe or venerate the saints. Two stand out in particular: the first St. Anthony the Great lived in the 3rd and 4th centuries and is considered one of the founders of monasticism, although this is not entirely accurate; and St. Anthony of Padua, who lived between the end of the 12th and the beginning of the 13th century. The latter is more recognized than the previous saint, receives more requests for prayers of intercession from many Catholics, and will be the subject of this explanation.
The description of St. Anthony “of Padua” is a bit confusing, as Padua is in Italy and the saint was born to a wealthy family in Portugal. Although much of his spiritual practice took place in Italy, St. Anthony is generally recognized as one of the famous Portuguese saints. Antonio was highly educated, but was soon attracted to the Franciscan order and its founder St. Francis. His first intention as a Franciscan was to preach in Morocco, but the sea voyage he made went off course due to storms, and instead he landed in Sicily, very ill and weak.
In 1222, Antonio was asked to give a sermon. Although St. Francis suspected Anthony of hiding his extensive religious education, no one was prepared for the depth and skill of his preaching. His mission became to preach the gospel and also to live in a way that shunned worldly riches. As a preacher, he became famous for simple and beautiful expressions and it is estimated that he made over 400 trips to Italy and France to spread the word of Christ.
His emphasis in his sermons to others was not on hellfire and damnation. Instead he spoke of the joy of a life in the service of Christ. He spoke of the sheer wonder of a Christ-based existence and in so doing incited many to reconfirm themselves in Christianity. St. Anthony is said to have spoken humbly and became a teacher of the Franciscans as well as drawing large crowds to his sermons (some accounts say as many as 30,000 people attended some of his sermons in Padua).
St. Anthony’s dedication, and the amount he managed to make, is quite surprising given his short life. He was only 36 when he died, and most of his sermons and his travels took place within ten years. He is considered a saint of the people, as he renounced wealth in favor of living simply.
St. Anthony is related to several things. He is often depicted in statues holding the Christ child or holding lilies. Lilies relate to purity and innocence and, of course, in a symbolic sense, Anthony was obviously the Christ bearer in his joyous sermons. He is also considered the saint of marriage. This may be due to his dedication to hearing everyone’s confessions after his sermons; he may have been especially good at helping couples reconcile with each other.
Probably the most familiar association with St. Anthony is that he is the seeker of lost things. In the saint’s accounts, no one has a single explanation for this title. Yet Catholics can ask St. Anthony to help them find things, from a set of car keys to a new job.
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