St Anthony of Padua is truly a wonderful and powerful Saint! During the Second World War, my grandfather (a married Eastern Catholic priest with seven children) went to a store to buy food for the week. The couple who ran the store had lost the previous week's receipts and cash. They couldn't find it anywhere and they were getting really anxious. And they were members of the communist party. My grandfather, in his clerical collar, simply told them to pray to St Anthony as he would help them find the lost items. They laughed at him at first, but then, as their continued search didn't bear any fruit, looked at Fr. John and went into the next room, closing the door behind them. My grandfather could hear them praying . . . to St Anthony. They then emerged from the room, looking the whole time at my grandfather. Then the man did something interesting. He put his hand on his eyes and then reached out with his other hand to grab the first drawer handle he could reach. He then pulled it out and . . there was the money and the receipts! The communist couple then gave my priest-grandfather plenty of extra bread and even chocolate for his children (and no one had any chocolate in those days, as my grandfather related to me with a smile). I thank St Anthony of Padua for helping my family and for providing such a powerful witness to God's miraculous power through His Saints!! St Anthony of Padua, we praise you and ask you to bless us!
Thank you to Alex for this story. Have a St. Anthony story of your own to share? Email it to us and we will post it on our blog~
He is one of the great saints of the Catholic Church, and one of the beloved--even far beyond Catholics themselves. Untold numbers of people turn to him, still, when there is loss. And strangely--at least strangely in the usual ways of the world--those things often quickly turn up. And often they turn up in the most unexpected--even seemingly miraculous ways. Let the stories begin.
