Feast of St. Anthony

Saint Anthony of Padua was born Fernando Martins de Bulhões in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1195. He died in Padua, Italy, on June 13, 1231, at the age of 35. He was canonized less than one year later, one of the fastest canonizations in Church history.

His feast day, June 13, is a municipal holiday in Lisbon, where it anchors the month-long Festas de Lisboa. The celebration fills the city's oldest neighborhoods with grilled sardines, street dancing, and the Marchas Populares parade down Avenida da Liberdade. In Padua, his relics are processed through the streets from the Basilica of St. Anthony.

Fernando Martins de Bulhões was born in 1195 to a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal. He entered the Augustinian canons at 15, spending nearly a decade studying theology at the monastery in Coimbra. In 1220, after witnessing the remains of five Franciscan friars martyred in Morocco, he left the Augustinians and joined the Franciscan order, taking the name Anthony.

He set out for Morocco to preach but fell seriously ill and was forced to return. His ship was blown off course and landed in Sicily, bringing him to Italy. It was an accident that redirected the course of his life.

The preacher

Anthony's gifts emerged by chance. At an ordination ceremony in Forlì, he was asked to speak when no prepared preacher was available. His impromptu sermon stunned the audience. Word reached Francis of Assisi, who appointed Anthony as the first theology teacher of the Franciscan order.

He preached across northern Italy and southern France, drawing enormous crowds. At Rimini, when local heretics refused to listen, Anthony reportedly walked to the shore and preached to the fish, which gathered at the water's edge. The spectacle, known as the Sermon to the Fishes, reportedly converted many of the onlookers. Pope Gregory IX later called him the "Ark of the Testament" and the "Repository of Holy Scripture."

Patron saint of lost things

Anthony's association with lost items traces to a specific event. A novice friar stole his psalter, a book of psalms containing his personal annotations and sermon notes. Anthony prayed for its return. According to the account, the novice experienced a terrifying vision, returned the book, and rejoined the religious order. The story expanded over centuries: Anthony became the patron saint of lost things, lost people, and lost faith.

Death and canonization

Anthony died on June 13, 1231, at a Poor Clares convent outside Padua. He was 35 years old. Pope Gregory IX canonized him on May 30, 1232, less than a year after his death. In 1946, Pope Pius XII declared him a Doctor of the Church with the title Doctor evangelicus.

Saint Anthony's Bread

The tradition of giving bread to the poor in Anthony's name dates to the 13th century. It was revived in 1888 when a French baker named Louise Bouffier promised to give bread to the poor if Anthony helped her open a stuck bakery door. After the door reportedly opened, Bouffier kept her promise. The practice of giving bread or alms in Anthony's name spread across Catholic communities and continues today.

Celebrations in Lisbon and Padua

In Lisbon, where Anthony was born, June 13 is a municipal holiday. The feast anchors the Festas de Lisboa, a month-long celebration that includes the Marchas Populares, a competitive parade of neighborhood dance groups along Avenida da Liberdade. The city's historic neighborhoods fill with the smoke of grilled sardines, and couples exchange manjericos, small pots of basil decorated with paper carnations and love poems. The Casamentos de Santo António, mass weddings held at Lisbon Cathedral on the eve of the feast, reflect Anthony's reputation as a matchmaker saint.

In Padua, where Anthony is buried, June 13 is also a holiday. A procession carries his relics through the streets from the Basilica of St. Anthony, which has been a major pilgrimage site since the 13th century.