St. Anthony of  Padua

 

Fernando Martins de Bulhoes was born in Lisbon the 15th August 1195 and died in Padua the 13th June 1231. He was a Portuguese religious. At first Augustinian at Coimbra from 1210, then, from 1220, he was a Franciscan Friar.

He traveled a lot living at first in Portugal and then in Italy and France.

In 1221 he went to Assisi where he met St. Francis of Assisi. Then Antonio was sent to Montepaolo di Dovadola, not far from Forlì. He was a humble man, of great wisdom and culture and with great skills as a preacher. For this reason he was well known at first during his staying in Forlì that, before becoming the well known “Anthony of Padua”, at the beginning he was known as “Anthony of Forlì”.

Anthony was in charge of teaching theology and she was sent by St. Francis to fight the heresy in France. He was then transferred to Bologna and then to Padua, in a small town called Camposampiero.

Here an amazing miracle happened. His friend Count Tiso described what he saw one day. From the small cell taken by Friar Anthony, he saw through the door half opened a great light; fearing a fire he pushed and opened the door and, with great astonishment he sees the baby Jesus in the arms of Anthony. The Saint stays for few days more in Camposampiero but then he felt weak so he asked his friend Tiso if he could bring him to Padua, but during the painful and uncomfortable journey an attack of dropsy forced the procession to stop in the small Franciscan Monastry in the small town of Arcella, not far from Padua. The diseases get worse quickly. Anthony then asked and received the sacraments and before dying he slowly whispered: “I see my Lord”.

He died at the age of 36 years old.

In less than a year, the Pope Gregory IX, from Spoleto he proclaimed him a Saint. From that day he is the Saint universally known as St. Anthony of Padua.

The Saint of miracles.

 

In 1946, S.S. Pio XII proclaimed him Doctor of the Church.  

Detail of weaving