Anthony of Padua June 13

After his priestly ordination, Fernando was appointed head waiter at the age of 19 and put in charge of the abbey's hospitality. While he was in Coimbra, Franciscan friars arrived and settled in a small hermitage outside Coimbra dedicated to Anthony the Great. Fernando was strongly attracted to the simple, evangelical lifestyle of the friars, whose order had only been founded 11 years earlier. News arrived that five Franciscans had been beheaded in Morocco, the first of their order to be killed. 

King Afonso II redeemed their bodies so that they could be returned and buried as martyrs in the Monastery of Santa Cruz. Inspired by their example, Fernando obtained permission from the ecclesiastical authorities to leave the Canons Regular to join the new Franciscan order. Upon his admission to the life of the friars, he joined the small hermitage of the Olives, taking the name Anthony (from the name of the chapel there, dedicated to Anthony the Great), by which he would become known.

Anthony of Padua then set sail for Morocco, fulfilling his new calling. However, he fell seriously ill in Morocco and returned to Portugal in the hope of regaining his health. On the return voyage, the ship was blown off course and landed in Sicily.

From Sicily, he went to Tuscany, where he was assigned to a convent of the order, but encountered difficulties due to his sickly appearance. He was eventually assigned to the rural hermitage of San Paolo near Forlì, in Romagna, a choice made in view of his poor health. There, he used a cell that one of the friars had made in a nearby cave, spending time in private prayer and study.

In 1222, in the city of Forlì, several visiting Dominican friars were present for an ordination, and a misunderstanding arose over who should preach. The Franciscans expected one of the Dominicans to occupy the pulpit, being renowned for his preaching. However, the Dominicans had come unprepared, thinking that a Franciscan would be the homilist. In this dilemma, the head of the hermitage, who did not believe that any of his humble friars could give a homily for the occasion, called upon Anthony, whom he suspected was the most qualified, and begged him to say whatever the Holy Spirit might inspire. 

Anthony of Padua opposed this but was overruled, and his impromptu sermon made a deep impression on his audience. His audience was moved not only by his rich voice and striking manner, but also by the theme and substance of his speech, his deep knowledge of the Scriptures, and the eloquence with which he delivered his message.

Anthony was then sent by Brother Gratian, the local provincial minister, to the Franciscan province of Romagna, based in Bologna. He soon attracted the attention of the order's founder, Francis of Assisi. Francis had been deeply suspicious of the place of theological studies in the life of his fraternity, fearing that it would lead to an abandonment of their commitment to a life of true poverty and service. In Anthony of Padua, however, he found a kindred spirit who shared his vision and could also provide the instruction that any young member of the order wishing to be ordained might need. In 1224, he entrusted the further studies of one of his brothers to Anthony's care.

The traditional practice of praying for Saint Anthony's help in finding lost or stolen objects dates back to an incident that occurred during his life in Bologna. According to the story, Anthony of Padua had a book of psalms that was important to him because it contained his notes and commentaries to use in teaching his students. A novice who had chosen to leave had taken the psalter with him. Before the invention of printing, every book was copied by hand and, therefore, a very valuable item. 

One Franciscan friar in particular, given his vow of poverty, would have found such an object difficult to replace. When Anthony realized his psalter was missing, he prayed for it to be found or returned, after which the thief was moved not only to return the book to Anthony, but also to return it to the order. The stolen book is said to be kept at the Franciscan friary in Bologna.

Anthony of Padua occasionally held other teaching positions at universities such as the University of Montpellier and the University of Toulouse in southern France, but his preaching was considered his supreme gift. According to the historian Sophronius Clasen, Anthony preached "the greatness of Christianity." His method included allegory and symbolic explanation of Scripture. In 1226, after attending the general chapter of his order held in Arles, France, and preaching in the Provence region, Anthony returned to Italy and was appointed provincial superior of northern Italy. He chose the city of Padua as his location.

In 1228, he was sent from the general chapter to Pope Gregory IX. At the papal court, his preaching was hailed as a "jewelry of the Bible," and he was commissioned to produce his collection of sermons, Sermons for Feast Days (Sermones in Festivitates). Gregory IX described Anthony as "the Ark of the Testament" (testament of Doctor Arca).

The story of Anthony "preaching to the fish" originated in Rimini, where he had gone to preach. When the heretics treated him with contempt, Anthony is said to have gone to the shore, where he began preaching by the water's edge until a large crowd of fish was seen gathered before him. The townspeople flocked to witness this marvel, after which Anthony accused them of the fact that the fish were more receptive to his message than the heretics of the church, at which point the people were moved to listen to his message.

In another often-told story, which took place in Toulouse, Anthony of Padua was challenged by a heretic to prove the reality of Christ's presence in the Eucharist. The man, seeking to mock Anthony, brought out a half-starved mule and showed him fresh fodder on one side and the sacramental host on the other. It is said that the mule ignored the fodder and, instead of eating either, bowed before the sacrament.

Another account tells of an occasion in Italy when Antony was dining with heretics. He realized that the food they presented him was poisoned and confronted them. The men admitted that they had tried to kill him, but then challenged him to eat if he truly believed the words spoken in Mark 16:18 about Christ's apostles: "...and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them." Antony is said to have blessed the food, eaten it, and suffered no harm, much to the amazement of his hosts.

Anthony fell ill with ergotism in 1231 and went to the woodland retreat at Camposampiero with two other friars for respite. There, he lived in a room built for him under the branches of a walnut tree. Anthony died on his way back to Padua on June 13, 1231, at the Poor Clare monastery of Arcella (now part of Padua), at the age of 35.

In accordance with his request, Anthony was buried in the small church of Santa Maria Mater Domini (probably dating from the late 12th century) and near a convent he had founded in 1229. Nevertheless, due to his increased prominence, construction of a large basilica began around 1232, although it was not completed until 1301. The smaller church was incorporated into the structure as the Cappella della Madonna Mora (Chapel of the Black Madonna). The basilica is known today as "Il Santo" (The Saint).

Miscellaneous legends also surround Anthony's death. It is claimed that when he died, children cried in the streets and all the church bells rang by themselves. Another legend concerns his tongue. He was buried in a chapel that became part of the basilica, where his tongue, jaw, and vocal cords were symbolically chosen as relics of veneration (as was the tradition in medieval times) to be displayed in a large reliquary. 

When his body was exhumed 30 years after his death, it was found reduced to dust, but the tongue was said to have shone and looked as if it were still part of a living body; another claim being made that this was a sign of his gift for preaching. On January 1, 1981, Pope John Paul II authorized a scientific team to study Anthony's remains, and the tomb was opened five days later.