Buona festa di Sant'antonio di Padova
We salute thee, Saint Anthony, lily of purity and glory of Christianity. We rejoice at the favors the Lord hast so generously bestowed on thee. In humility and confidence we entreat thee to help us, for we know that God hast given thee charity and pity, as well as power.
Behold our distress, our anxiety, our fears concerning our salvation. We ask thee by the love thou didst feel toward the amiable little Jesus to tell Him now of our wants. One word from thee will touch His heart and fill us with joy.
Remember how complete thy bliss was as thou didst hold Him close to thee, pressed thy cheek to His and listened to His angelic voice. Think of this, and hear us for His wondrous show of love. If we could behold thee we would bathe thy feet with respectful tears and tell thee all we feel, all we fear for our salvation.
But to see thee is not granted us. Therefore, we salute thee in spirit, O glorious favorite of God, and bow down our guilty heads before thee in humble reverence while we raise our hearts full of hope toward Heaven and thee. For He Who so often put Himself in thy arms will now fill thy hands with all we ask of thee.
Give us, then, what we desire, angel of wisdom and Divine love, and we will speak of thy grandeur, thereby to honor and glorify Him Who so blessed thee. Amen.
Litany of St. Anthony of Padua
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us. Christ graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, pray for us.
Holy Virgin of virgins, pray for us.
St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, pray for us.
St. Francis, patriarch of the poor, pray for us.
St. Anthony of Padua, pray for us.
St. Anthony, friend of Jesus and Mary, pray for us.
St. Anthony, apostolic man, pray for us.
St. Anthony, filled with the spirit of prophecy, pray for us.
St. Anthony, sublime doctor of truth, pray for us.
St. Anthony, ornament of the Seraphic Order, pray for us.
St. Anthony, light of Holy Church, pray for us.
St. Anthony, preacher of grace, pray for us.
St. Anthony, trumpet of the Gospel, pray for us.
St. Anthony, mirror of regular observance, pray for us.
St. Anthony, cultivator of a mortified life, pray for us.
St. Anthony, model of abstinence, pray for us.
St. Anthony, example of obedience, pray for us.
St. Anthony, example of poverty, pray for us.
St. Anthony, lily of chastity, pray for us.
St. Anthony, rose of patience, pray for us.
St. Anthony, gem of sanctity, pray for us.
St. Anthony, violet of humility, pray for us.
St. Anthony, hammer of heresy, pray for us.
St. Anthony, zealous for Divine worship, pray for us.
St. Anthony, thirsting for the salvation of souls, pray for us.
St. Anthony, martyr in desire, pray for us.
St. Anthony, lover and assiduous imitator of the Redeemer, pray for us.
St. Anthony, devout client of the Virgin Mother of God, pray for us.
St. Anthony, emulator of the Seraphic Francis, pray for us.
St. Anthony, worker of manifest miracles, pray for us.
St. Anthony, protector of those who hope in thee, pray for us.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Lord.
V. Blessed Anthony, powerful preacher, pray for us;
R. That by thy intercession we may enjoy life eternal.
Let us pray. Grant, O Lord, that Thy people, aided by the pious and continual supplication of Thy illustrious confessor, blessed Anthony, may be made worthy of Thy grace in this world, and attain happiness in the next. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
At Mass today, your priest might bless lilies for you to keep (this isn't a universal practice). The blessing of lilies, which remind us of St. Anthony's purity and have always been a symbol for him, stems from a miracle which took place in Revolutionary France: many priests and religious were murdered, so many churches and convents destroyed, but the faithful still showed up at a surviving church on the Feast of St. Anthony. Months later, it was discovered that lilies that had adorned the church at that feast were still fresh. Let the lilies beautify your house, or carry them with you, or press them in a book, etc. If your priest doesn't bless lilies, you can still use them non-sacramentally to remind you of one of the greatest Saints ever.
Another custom on this day is known as "St. Anthony's Bread" and goes back to A.D. 1263 when a child drowned near the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua as it was still being built. The mother besought St. Anthony and promised that if her child were restored to life, she would give to the poor an amount of wheat equal to the weight of her child. Of course her son was saved, and her promise was kept. "St. Anthony's Bread," then, is the promise of giving alms in return for a favor asked of God through St. Anthony's intercession (the custom also takes place throughout the year when parents give alms after placing their baby under the patronage of St. Anthony). In some places, the custom has a literal parallel in that loaves of bread might be blessed and given away at church or, generally, to the poor. Such is the case in the town of Gildone, Campobasso, Molise, Italy. There, a great procession is made of the loaves of bread the women make. Large baskets filled with loaves of bread are decorated with flowers and carried by women on their heads. Little children dressed in habits like the one St. Anthony wore follow along.1
St Anthony Procession in NYC
St Anthony Procession in Padua, Italy.
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