Saint Anthony of Padua–The Patron Saint of Lost Items

A daily distraction in a busy life is the hazard of misplacing things, or more accurately forgetting where items have been left – most often very useful ones: eyeglasses, cell phone, wallet, hearing aids, face mask and on and on. In my office, that can include a favorite pen, even my still warm cup of tea.

As the ad for the ghost busting agency in the movie, Ghostbusters, asked (and do pardon the appalling grammar), “Who you gonna call?”

How about enlisting the help of a long dead but still very active saint, whose feastday is this coming Sunday, June 13? You may (or may not) know that Saint Anthony of Padua is the Catholic patron saint of “things lost” – which mostly is interpreted to be physical possessions of any sort, from the missing steak knife in a set of four, to an heirloom diamond ring.

In the rural religious community in Harvard, Massachusetts where I grew up (long ago), I was expected to memorize the entire Catholic calendar of saints’ feastdays – yes, all 365 of them with some dates carrying as many as three or four celebrities. I had my favorites, often for their fascinating heavenly assignments. Some were the patron saints of countries – in fact, every country has at least one; for example, you may be familiar with Saint Andrew for Scotland, Saint Patrick for Ireland. Some countries have more than one patron saint: Spain, for example has both Saint James and Saint Teresa of Avila, France has the duo of Saint Joan of Arc and Saint Louis IX, the King of France who led and lost the ninth (and last) crusade.

Other saints are credited with curing specific illnesses – Saint Blaise, for ailments of the throat, is an example. Some of my Catholic readers may be familiar with the ritual (still in practice in some parishes) on February 3, the feastday of Saint Blaise, in which the priest holds a pair of lit candles in the form of an X and gently (VERY gently) brings the crossed candles to your throat and recites a brief invocation (in Latin when I was growing up). As a child with long hair, I was terrified of being singed by the flames and I would hold my breath and pray to the Whole Court of heaven until the ten-second blessing was over. Then there is Saint Agatha, the patron saint for breast cancer. The grim story in my childhood book, “The Lives of the Saints for Children” described how this third century virgin and martyr had her breasts cut off by pagan soldiers in an unsuccessful attempt to force her to renounce Christianity. A similarly indecipherable rationale for a patron saint (in my young mind) was Saint Gerard Majella, whose specialty was, of all things, mothers in childbirth. I couldn’t understand what made him the designated favorite for the safe delivery of babies, since he was neither a doctor nor a dad.

And then there are saints who have been assigned – or reputedly have earned the role of patron – for other aspects of our lives. The example that first comes to mind is Saint Jude, the patron saint for desperate cases, and lost causes (which I think I was determined to be at the age of seventeen). He may be best known today as the patron and namesake of Danny Thomas’ spectacular project dedicated to curing childhood cancer, Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

And of course, there is the subject of this column – St. Anthony, to whom one turns when anything is lost or missing.

About twenty years ago my sister, Peggy, called to say she was sending me a small surprise present. “Put it in your office,” she told me and I wondered for several days what she knew I needed for my business. The envelope arrived and inside was a magnetized picture of Saint Anthony with the caption, “Invoked for Finding Lost Things.”

I called to thank her – she had obviously heard me too often ranting over my inability to find things. She then cautioned me: “Remember, you can’t yell at Saint Anthony. You must always speak to him in a nice calm voice.” I promised to do my best.

For the last two decades, Saint Anthony has more than earned my gratitude. And my sister’s warning about using a gentle tone of voice was no doubt an essential element of my success. Of course, praying to Saint Anthony, or invoking him, or simply asking him gently to help find a misplaced item doesn’t produce the saint in his Franciscan garb, rummaging through your kitchen cabinets, or searching among the clothes hangers in your closets or peering under the seats in your car. But what Saint Anthony does do is help you to engage thoughtfully in a search that is nearly always successful.

Here’s how it works. The minute you realize that you need celestial support to find something you’ve misplaced (or worse, lost), and before you address Saint Anthony, you must bring yourself into a state of calm, allowing you to be in the right frame of mind to accept his help. Then as you start your search, you will realize that what Saint Anthony is really doing is finding your memory, thereby allowing you to recall your past steps and actions.

For those prone to skepticism about the efficacy of Saint Anthony, let me suggest that you try giving him a chance. I’ve gone on searches at times forgetting to invoke the dear saint, and I can assure you that when I remember him, my luck has always improved.

Remember to treat him like the caring human being he was in life. He may have lived eight hundred years ago and died too young – at the tender age of 36 – but he’s been helping millions of people since and he can help you too. Perhaps as evidence, try a Google search: SAINT ANTHONY OF PADUA PICTURES and you will find twelve pages of images.

One final suggestion: Don’t forget to wish Saint Anthony a Happy Feastday on June 13