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Along with St. Francis, St. Anthony of Padua is the most well-known and respected saint in Italy.
Born into royalty in Portugal in 1195, St. Anthony gave up all of his family’s wealth to enter the monastery at the young age of 15. After many distractions from outside visitors to the monastery near his home in Lisbon, Anthony move to the Abbey of Santa Cruz, where he studied the Lord’s teachings for the next eight years.
After Santa Cruz, Anthony joined the Franciscans and traveled to Morocco as a missionary. But he became so ill after four months that he couldn’t stand up long enough to preach. He decided that it was time to head back home to Portugal. On his way home, however, the ship he was on was caught in a very bad storm and was forced to dock in Sicily. Determined to continue to do God’s work, Anthony met Father Gratian, who sent him to the mountains in San Paolo, near Forli. It was in Forli where his year’s of study and devotion to God paid off. At his ordination into the priesthood, Anthony gave a spontaneous speech at Father Gratian’s request. The speech was so eloquent and convincing, that he immediately became know as “Anthony the Preacher.”
Anthony preached everything and everywhere that he could. He preached the bible, which he had nearly memorized. He preached often at the request of St. Francis, who hadn’t noticed Anthony until the crowds began to follow him and listen to him everywhere he went. He taught what he knew to other Franciscans. And he taught in Padua, where the entire city hung on his every word.
It was in Padua in 1231 that Anthony became ill. And on June 13th of that same year, he died at the age of 36.
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