Feast of St. Anthony

Anthony's gifts emerged by chance. At an ordination ceremony in Forlì, he was asked to speak when no prepared preacher was available. His impromptu sermon stunned the audience. Word reached Francis of Assisi, who appointed Anthony as the first theology teacher of the Franciscan order.

He preached across northern Italy and southern France, drawing enormous crowds. At Rimini, when local heretics refused to listen, Anthony reportedly walked to the shore and preached to the fish, which gathered at the water's edge. The spectacle, known as the Sermon to the Fishes, reportedly converted many of the onlookers. Pope Gregory IX later called him the "Ark of the Testament" and the "Repository of Holy Scripture."

Anthony died on June 13, 1231, at a Poor Clares convent outside Padua. He was 35 years old. Pope Gregory IX canonized him on May 30, 1232, less than a year after his death. In 1946, Pope Pius XII declared him a Doctor of the Church with the title Doctor evangelicus.

In Lisbon, where Anthony was born, June 13 is a municipal holiday. The feast anchors the Festas de Lisboa, a month-long celebration that includes the Marchas Populares, a competitive parade of neighborhood dance groups along Avenida da Liberdade. The city's historic neighborhoods fill with the smoke of grilled sardines, and couples exchange manjericos, small pots of basil decorated with paper carnations and love poems. The Casamentos de Santo António, mass weddings held at Lisbon Cathedral on the eve of the feast, reflect Anthony's reputation as a matchmaker saint.

In Padua, where Anthony is buried, June 13 is also a holiday. A procession carries his relics through the streets from the Basilica of St. Anthony, which has been a major pilgrimage site since the 13th century.