When I think of St. Anthony of Padua two things come to mind. First, his form in statue holding the Christ child. Second, the nursery rhyme-esque prayer that we sometimes half heartedly and sometimes desperately recite when something goes missing. St. Anthony is the patron saint of lost articles and is venerated in Portugal where he was born, and in Italy where he served.

There are many stories about St. Anthony. He received visions of the Child Jesus. He was once so frustrated by the hard heartedness of the people he preached to, that he went to the water and preached to the fish, instead. And they listened! He was known as a great preacher and teacher. He assisted St. Francis of Assisi as a teacher to his novices. It was during this time that he gained his patronage.

A novice under the saint wanted to leave the order and took with him a precious book of St. Anthony’s used in instruction. St. Anthony prayed for the return of both, the soul and the book, and his prayers were answered. The book was returned by the novice who chose to stay with the order.

Thus, St. Anthony owns his patronage of lost items and we have the privilege and great help of turning to him.

“Good St. Anthony, come around! Something’s lost that must be found!”

Be it car keys, a precious toy, or faith, we turn to St. Anthony’s intercession to help us find what is lost.

Prayer

This prayer to St. Anthony is a well known, and and efficacious prayer: 

O Holy St. Anthony gentlest of Saints, your love for God and charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me (request).

O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms. The gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen.

Activity

What more fun way to celebrate the patron saint of lost things than by asking his help in finding them? Have fun with a scavenger hunt with the children. Any kind at all: backyard nature hunt, indoor item hunt, around the town driving hunt, or even a toy box hunt. There are many examples on the web to download, or simply make a list of items for wherever you plan to hunt, and pray the well loved prayer as you go down the list for each item. 

Treat

A traditional treat for St. Anthony’s day is St. Anthony’s bread. It’s a simple, sweet yeasted bread or roll, now enjoyed on the saint’s day. However, it’s origin seems to be founded in giving the bread to the poor in thanksgiving for a lost item’s return. So, in addition to enjoying a simple treat to celebrate the day, perhaps a batch of the bread, some cookies, or gelato or ice cream, consider donating to your local food bank or church’s food pantry as well in honor of St. Anthony!

I searched for a good recipe to share for the bread or rolls, and found so many variations on the theme, I’m not sure where to go! Some were sweet, some were savory and herbed, some were simple whole-wheat rolls. If you want to go the route of celebrating over a loaf or rolls, just choose your favorite homemade or store-bought roll, offer a prayer to St. Anthony and tear in. Otherwise, any Italian treat would suit the day. Or, as always, any treat at all. Enjoy!