When was saint anthony born

When the child was miraculously restored to life, the woman was true to her word and the tradition of giving alms to the poor in St. It is a beautiful tradition of generosity and charity to the poor. And it is fitting that it is done in St. Many people think of St.

The reason for invoking St. As the story goes, he had a favorite book of psalms that was very valuable to him. As this was before the invention of printing, the book was a hand-printed book — but of even more value were his personal notes and the comments he had made in the Psalter to assist with teaching students in the Franciscan order.

It was suspected that a novice leaving the community had stolen the Psalter. Anthony prayed for the return of his beloved possession.

Anthony is also known as the guardian of the mail as a result of another incident in his life. Although he always sought solitude and time for reflection, Anthony was so popular a preacher that he rarely got time to rest. He dutifully wrote to his superior for permission for a respite and time to travel some distance away for reflection.

However, as the story goes, when the messenger arrived for the letter, it was no where to be found. Anthony took this as a sign that he was not to go and forgot about the trip. Shortly after, he received permission from his superior to take the trip.

Another legend of , tells of a heart-broken wife seeking news of her husband who had traveled from Spain to Peru. Despite writing many times there was no answer. In desperation she went to the chapel and placed a letter in the hands of the statue of St. Anthony and prayed he would intercede on her behalf and assist with delivery of the letter.

The next day when she returned to the chapel, she was disappointed that the letter was still there. Upon removing the letter, she realized her letter had been replaced by a letter from her husband.

He wrote that her last letter had been delivered by a Franciscan priest, and that he was overjoyed to receive her letter as he had thought her dead since not hearing from her for so long. Novenas to St. Anthony are celebrated in many churches and shrines around the world. Many begin on Tuesdays as Tuesday was the day Anthony was buried and the miracles at his tomb began.

The beginning of novenas is linked to a story of a childless couple. After many, many years of longing for a child, the wife took her troubles to St. Whatever fact may or may not be behind the legend, in Pope Leo XIII encouraged the devotion by granting a plenary indulgence to those spending time in devout prayer in honor of St. Anthony with the intention of doing so for consecutive Tuesdays. Many images of St. Anthony picture him with lilies and the Christ child. He lived in a cave in San Paolo leaving only to attend Mass and sweep the nearby monastery.

One day when a scheduled speaker failed to appear, the brothers pressed him into speaking. He impressed them so that he was thereafter constantly traveling, evangelizing, preaching, and teaching theology through Italy and France.

A gifted speaker, he attracted crowds everywhere he went, speaking in multiple tongues; legend says that even the fish loved to listen. One of the most beloved of saints, his images and statues are found everywhere. Simple and resounding was his teaching of the Catholic Faith, so that the most unlettered and innocent might understand it. He became the first theology teacher in the Franciscan order and is referred to as "Doctor of the Church.

He is popularly known as the patron saint for lost things. He worked as a revenue officer and was a knight of the court of King Alfonso II. The Pope had recognized Portugal as an independent nation for less than 20 years at the time of Anthony's birth. The crusaders were an important part of Portugal's early history and religious life was strongly encouraged.

The king and queen built cathedrals and monasteries around the country, which would play an influential role in Anthony's later life. Anthony was educated at the Cathedral School of Saint Mary near his home. His teachers suggested that he become a knight on the king's court, but his father objected. He argued that his son was not strong enough to become a knight and thought he was better suited to intellectual pursuits.

He wanted Anthony to help him manage the family's estate and become a nobleman. To his father's dismay, Anthony decided to join the Canons Regular of St. Augustine at the age of He entered St. Vincent's convent of Lisbon in During his first two years in the convent he was visited often by family and friends.

Anthony felt that these visits distracted him from prayer and asked to be transferred to Holy Cross Monastery in Coimbra, then the capital of Portugal. Anthony spent eight years studying theology in Coimbra and was ordained a priest around or During this time he befriended several friars from the monastery at Olivares.

These men belonged to the Friars Minor and followed Francis of Assisi. Francis had aspired to be a noble knight, but he gave up his dreams to follow Christ. He built an order of friars in Assisi, Italy around and traveled extensively, preaching to nonbelievers.

According to Madeline Pecora Nugent in Saint Anthony, Words of Fire, Life of Light, "By simple preaching, austere lifestyle, and holy example, Francis and his followers were evangelizing the populace in fields, markets and public squares.

In the first Franciscan friars had been martyred. Anthony Bread in thanksgiving to God for blessings received through the prayers of St. St Anthony is beloved throughout the world and is responsive to all people and all needs. His intercessory powers before our God are awesome.

Legends about Anthony abound. Anthony was born in 13 years after St. Francis in Lisbon, Portugal and given the name of Fernando at Baptism. His parents, Martin and Mary Bulhom, apparently belonged to one of the prominent families of the city.

At the age of 15 he entered the religious order of St. Monastery life was hardly peaceful for young Fernando, nor conducive to prayer and study, as his old friends came to visit frequently and engaged in vehement political discussions.

After two years he was sent to Coimbra. There he began nine years of intense study, learning the Augustinian theology that he would later combine with the Franciscan vision. Fernando was probably ordained a priest during this time. The life of the young priest took a crucial turn when the bodies of the first five Franciscan martyrs were returned from Morocco.

They had preached in the mosque in Seville, almost being martyred at the outset, but the sultan allowed them to pass on to Morocco, where, after continuing to preach Christ despite repeated warnings, they were tortured and beheaded. He was overjoyed and inspired to a momentous decision. True to their promise, the Franciscans allowed Anthony to go to Morocco, to be a witness for Christ, and a martyr as well.

But, as often happens, the gift he wanted to give was not the gift that was to be asked of him. He became seriously ill, and after several months realized he had to go home. He never arrived. His ship ran into storms and high winds and was blown east across the Mediterranean. Months later he arrived on the east coast of Sicily. Still ailing, he wanted to attend the great Pentecost Chapter of Mats so called because the 3, friars could not be housed and slept on mats.

Francis was there, also sick. History does not reveal any meeting between Francis and Anthony. Now, like Francis, he had his first choice—a life of seclusion and contemplation in a hermitage near Montepaolo.

As they gathered for a meal afterward, the provincial suggested that one of the friars give a short sermon. Quite typically, everybody ducked. Anthony too demurred, but finally began to speak in a simple, artless way.

The fire within him became evident. His knowledge was unmistakable, but his holiness was what really impressed everyone there. Now he was exposed. His quiet life of prayer and penance at the hermitage was exchanged for that of a public preacher. In our experience, it could be compared to an evangelist arriving in a slum driving a Mercedes, delivering a homily from his car and speeding off to a vacation resort.

Anthony saw that words were obviously not enough. He had to show gospel poverty. People wanted more than self-disciplined, even penitent priests. They wanted genuineness of gospel living. And in Anthony they found it. They were moved by who he was, more than what he said.

Despite his efforts, not everyone listened. Legend has it that one day, faced with deaf ears; Anthony went to the river and preached to the fishes.