Antony of Padua
Missionary, Preacher,
Teacher of the Faith

Ferdinand came from a noble Portuguese family. He attended the cathedral school in Lisbon, he was 15 when he joined the Augustinian Canons. This order lived in community but engaged in work outside the monestry. Finding there were too many distractions to his studies, Ferdinand asked permission to live in the priory at Coimbra, where for 8 years he devoted himself entirely to prayer and study.

The Franciscan Order was 11 years old, it had captured the imagination of many and grown rapidly, with its emphasis on poverty and mission, especially to the Moors. In 1220 the relics of 5 Franciscans who had been martyred in Morocco were brought to the priory. Ferdinand, fired with enthusiasm for the Franciscan ideals, was released from his Order and joined the Franciscans. At their house of St Antony at Coimbra, he took the name Antony.

Age 26 he went to Morocco, but became ill and had to return to Europe. His ship encountered a violent storm which carried them to Messina in Sicily. Here Antony heard of a meeting of the Franciscan General Chapter to be held in Assisi and went there. At the meeting Brother Elias became the head of the Franciscan Order.

Antony was sent to a little hospice near Forli, and engaged in menial tasks until called upon in an emergency to preach at an ordination. His remarkable preaching ability and profound learning were revealed. The Franciscans already taking an interest in the emerging universities, then appointed Antony as the first lector or teacher in theology to the order. He taught in Bologna, then Montpellier and Toulouse.

Antony's great preaching, drew thousands from all classes of society. Soon no church could be found to hold the crowds, so he preached in the open air. His main topic was greed, including that of money lenders who charged overly high interest and he was successful in bringing back to the church many who had fallen away.

Although Antony held office in the Franciscan Order, from 1230 he devoted himself entirely to preaching in and around Padua. He was only 36 when he died, worn out by his labours and his travels. He was canonized within a year of his death. Many legends have sprung up concerning his great love of animals, including him preaching to fish, and numerous miracles are associated with his relics, which remain in Padua.

BORN: 15 August 1195, Lisbon, Portugal

DIED: 13 June 1231, Padua, Italy