Saint Anthony of Padua (Unabridged‪)‬

Saint Anthony of Padua was proclaimed a doctor of the church. There are 33 doctors of the church. In the 2,000 years since the church was instituted, out of its millions of holy people, and thousands of canonized Saints, only 33 have been given the honor of this title. We have written about 15 of them thus far. Saint Anthony of Padua, the saint we pray to for lost objects, is one of these honored people. But until the Lord decided to put St. Anthony into active ministry, he was a dish washer and confessor to Franciscan hermits. No one had any idea what the Lord had locked up in the mind and heart of this great saint.

Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Catherine of Siena are the co-patron Saints of Italy. This is in no way to belittle them or the place they hold in the hearts of Italians and Catholics, as a whole; but the Saint's statue, seen in every store, car or apartment, is that of Sant Anthony of Padua, or as he is affectionately called, "Il Santo".