My plea yesterday for suggestions of saints to feature brought much fruit -- I might have to continue my daily saint posts into December. Today I will offer a prayer to the patron of one of my nephews who is getting over a virus and will not make it to our Thanksgiving feast.
St. Anthony of Padua was born in Portugal, with the name Fernando Martins. When he joined the Franciscan Order, he changed his name to Anthony. He traveled to Morocco to spread the Gospel, but became sick and was returned to Portugal. The ship was blown off course and landed in Sicily instead. Anthony was sent to an hermitage near Tuscany where he recovered from his illness and spent much time in prayer and study.
Anthony developed a reputation as a an eloquent homilist. Word reached Francis of Assisi, to whom Anthony became a good friend. He died when he was only 36 and was canonized less than a year later. Over three hundred years after his death, his body was exhumed. His body was corrupt, but his tongue was incorrupt.
St. Anthony is the patron saint we call on to find lost articles. One of my coworkers called on him when our office lost power today. His feast day is June 13.
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