2014 St. Anthony Feast – A Message from Fr. Dan
On June 13 we celebrate the feast of St. Anthony of Padua (1195 – 1231). He's the patron saint of Italy, yet his birthplace was Lisbon, Portugal. Born into affluence, he was given the name Ferdinand. He entered the Augustinian order. A few years later he was deeply moved by the martyrdom of a group of Franciscan missionaries in Morocco. He decided to join the Franciscans, taking the new name of Anthony. Several wondrous events have been attributed to Anthony, but he's best known as the finder of lost or stolen things. According to legend, a novice who had left the religious life stole Anthony's beloved Book of Psalms. Anthony prayed for its recovery and the errant novice returned the psalter and rejoined the order. Anthony was a spellbinding preacher and nicknamed "The Hammer of the Heretics" for his vigorous preaching of the faith to counter the Albigensians and other heresies of the time. Want to learn more about St. Anthony? Read Saint Anthony of Padua: His Life, Legends and Devotions by Fr. Jack Wintz, O.F.M., or Saint of the Day by Fr. Leonard Foley, O.F.M and Fr. Pat McCloskey, O.F.M. Anthony is the patron saint of our magazine, St. Anthony Messenger. He inspires us daily. Do you want to inspire someone? Send a St. Anthony e-card! These and other cards are available at CatholicGreetings.org. Our digital ministry includes not only e-greetings, but AmericanCatholic.org, our award-winning website. We also proclaim the Gospel message on our social networking communities at Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Please help us continue. Please consider donating $50, $75 or $100 or more so that we may continue to evangelize in the spirit of St. Anthony. Your tax-deductible donation in any amount helps us pay the costs of our web ministry, which touches thousands with the Good News every day. Use our secure online donation form or mail a donation payable to the Franciscans at Franciscan Media, 28 W. Liberty St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. If you prefer, you may phone in a credit-card donation for our evangelization ministries at 513-241-5615 or, in the U.S., 800-488-0488.
Peace and every blessing,
Fr. Dan Kroger, O.F.M.
Publisher, Franciscan Media
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