June 13 is the Feast Day for Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church.
In 1223, Francis appointed Anthony as the first professor of theology for the friars, thus setting the trend toward the academic tradition of the Order. Anthony received honors from the Universities of Bologna, Toulouse, and Montpellier. Besides writing his famous Sermones, a preaching handbook for the clergy, Anthony crusaded against injustice, and worked numerous miracles for the faithful. He died at age thirty-six. Proclaimed the Evangelical Doctor, Pius XII named Anthony a Doctor of the Church in 1946. (Excerpt from Friars Minor Conventual – A Distinctive Heritage by friars Joseph Wood & Robert Melnick)
Saint Anthony is also known as the Patron of Lost Things. In the video below, Friar Jude Winkler talks about why Saint Anthony is loved in Istanbul and answers the question (from a 5-year old) ‘How does Saint Anthony find my lost things?’
Last but not least, check out The Saint Anthony Rosary of Healing (also available for printing and with all the readings on our Resources page.)
