PRAYER TO SAINT ANTHONY OF PADUA
PRAY TO THE PATRON SAINT OF LOST AND STOLEN ARTICLES FOR COURAGE TO DEAL WITH CRISES GREAT AND SMALL THROUGH DEPENDENCE ON GOD
About This Prayer
Saint Anthony of Padua (1195–1231) was a Franciscan friar, Doctor of the Church, and one of the most beloved saints in Christendom. His feast day is June 13. He is the patron saint of lost and stolen articles, and his intercession is sought for finding what is lost, both materially and spiritually.
Feast Day: 13-June
DAILY PRAYER
O Holy Saint Anthony, gentlest of saints, your love for God and charity for His creatures made you worthy, even on earth, of possessing miraculous powers. Miracles waited on your word which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this, I implore you to obtain for me the Divine Child Jesus whom you held in your arms my request...
(mention your request),
Holy Saint Anthony, ask the Divine Child Jesus to soften the hearts of all those who abort their children and of all those that support this evil so that they may stop aborting and stop supporting so cruel an evil.
Amen.
The answer to my prayer may require a miracle, even so, you are the Saint of miracles. O gentle and loving Saint Anthony, whose heart is ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be enfolded in your arms, and the gratitude of my heart will be ever yours.
Amen.
Related Prayers
Common Questions
When and how is the prayer to Saint Anthony prayed?
The prayer to Saint Anthony of Padua may be prayed at any time, and is especially turned to in moments of loss, whether of an object, a person, or peace of mind. His feast day is June 13, the anniversary of his death, and many Catholics observe a novena in the nine days before that feast. The Thirteen Tuesdays before his feast are also a beloved popular devotion in many parts of the Catholic world.
Who was Saint Anthony of Padua?
Anthony of Padua was born Fernando de Bulhões in Lisbon, Portugal, in A.D. 1195, into a noble family. As a young man he joined the Augustinian canons and was later inspired by the witness of the first Franciscan martyrs in Morocco to enter the new Order of Friars Minor founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. A brilliant preacher and biblical scholar, he died in Padua, Italy, in A.D. 1231 at age 36 and was canonized by Pope Gregory IX within a year of his death. Pope Pius XII declared him a Doctor of the Church in A.D. 1946.
Why is Saint Anthony invoked for lost things?
Tradition tells of a young Franciscan novice who, leaving the order, took with him a precious psalter that Saint Anthony had been using for his teaching. Anthony prayed earnestly for its return; the novice, deeply troubled in conscience, brought back both the book and his vocation. From this incident sprang the long practice of asking Saint Anthony's help in finding what is lost: material things, but also and especially what is spiritually lost: faith, peace, vocation, hope.
What is the Thirteen Tuesdays devotion to Saint Anthony?
The Thirteen Tuesdays of Saint Anthony is a Catholic devotion of praying for the saint's intercession on the thirteen Tuesdays preceding his feast day on June 13, often with a special intention. It originated from the wonders attributed to his prayers in Bologna in the 13th century and was approved by Pope Leo XIII in A.D. 1898. Many Catholics begin the devotion in mid-March, gathering for Mass or special prayers each Tuesday, and conclude on the feast itself with thanksgiving.