St Anthony of Padua

Today I am inspired by St. Anthony of Padua, one of the most famous disciples of St. Francis of Assisi. A famous preacher, doctor of the church and wonder worker, he is considered as the saint of the lost articles.

St Anthony is also our family saint, I remember my grandmother an ardent devotee of the saint, and I have seen her in early morning hours folding her hands with great devotion in invoking graces from him.  She used to tell us that he is a very powerful saint, and is known for his miracles and wonders during his life time, I have heard all the miracle stories of St Anthony from my grandmother.

My grandmother lost her husband at a young age in the second world war, and she  had a tough life raising up two children, She named  my mother Rosemary and her son Anthony Bob; she loved her children, and worked hard to settle them in  life, I recall her having her a small statue of St Anthony, where she prayed the novena every day, she instilled the same faith in my mother, who follower her with devotion.

My dad too was a great fan of St Anthony, he was found every Tuesday in St Anthony’s church, and used to bring the bread that was distributed at the church in the name of St Anthony, my dad too told us stories of how St Anthony helped him to find lost things, especially when he misplaced important documents, money or any other problem concerning his job or family.

My grand mother’s house has a chapel adjacent, which is named after St Anthony, after my grandmother’s death, my father used to visit the chapel every Tuesday and later on after retirement he would spend time in the chapel every day  in front of St Anthony’s statue and pray for  people  who used to come and ask him to say the novena for lost articles, jewelry, family problems, missing people.

Our neighbors used to visit my dad regularly for prayers, they would come to thank him for success in whatever they prayed for; with candles, bread and also appreciate him, my dad was called in their homes to say the novena to St Anthony and he would take this opportunity to share his faith.

And today my husband who is also named Anthony David is  a great devotee, while we are plan to visit the church as a family, I am filled with memorable moments and also inspired by my husband who has so much to talk  about this great saint. He visits the chapel every Tuesday and at home shares his experiences of how he overcame failures and disappointments in his life, through the intercession of St Anthony.

While I appreciate all my family members for their devotion, I too desire to learn something from the saint today, he was man of faith, who trusted god and did great things in his life time. While I go with my family to the church this evening, I am carrying the faith of my mom, dad, and grandmother. I feel thankful towards this saint who inspires millions of people all over the world.

Happy feast to all & specially to  those who bear the name of Anthony !

“Attribute to God every good that you have received. If you take credit for something that does not belong to you, you will be guilty of theft."
-St Anthony