One day I noticed, on returning home from a walk, that I had lost a gold locket which I prized very much, not only on account of it having been blessed, but also for its contents. The loss of it did not affect me very much, as St. Anthony never failed helping me in similar circumstances. After saying three Our Fathers, I retired to rest as soon as I had finished my prayers. Of course I did not leave the work of finding the locket to St. Anthony without taking the trouble to try and find it myself; but the next morning I began to visit the different places to which I had been the evening before. I was interrupted in my search by the bell ringing for Mass. At first I hesitated about going to church, but finally I made up my mind to go, for is not one Mass worth more than all the lockets in the world? Besides, was there any certainty of my finding the locket even if I stayed away? When Mass was over I continued my walk, but to no purpose. Fearing the trinket might have fallen into the hands of some one who would only have cared for its intrinsic value, and perhaps laughed at its contents, I asked Our Lady not to permit such a thing to happen, and for this intention invoked Pope Pius IX, St. Anne, St. Joachim, and especially St. Anthony, in whose honor I said another Our Father. I suppose my persistency must have touched our good St. Anthony, for very shortly afterwords a stranger, noticing I was searching for something, accosted me, asking if I had lost anything. On my replying in the affirmative, and giving him a description of my locket, he returned it to me, saying he had found it near St. Mary's Church. Many thanks to our dear Lady and good St. Anthony and my other holy friends.
Thank you to 'Miracles of St. Anthony of Padua' by Joseph A. Keller
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.
