Friends with "St. Tony"
A friend indeed.
Helene writes about her friendship
with "St. Tony"
Dear Editors
St. Anthony of Padua
My favorite saints are St. Francis of Assisi, St. Theresa of the Little Flower, and St. Anthony of Padua. St. Anthony and I have become really good friends. My classroom was a place where I would lose things all the time. All I’d have to do is ask for St. Anthony’s help and somehow I’d find what I had been missing. Since I was having the conversations so often, St. Anthony became simply, “St. Tony”. My students would remind me to ask “Tony” if I would become bewildered or something went missing.
My renaming of St. Anthony to “Tony” was not a sign of disrespect, but a sign and acknowledgement that the Saints need to be our friends.
In fact, recently my son had a repairman at his home while I was there visiting. The young man misplaced his work phone. I asked “Tony” to help and sure enough he found the phone almost right away! I did not think the young man was Catholic so I proceeded to tell him about St. Anthony and how helpful he has been to me in my life. The man then told me he had heard about St. Anthony when he was a boy from his mother but had never asked him for help. I like to think they became friends from that day on.
Sincerely,
Helene
We’d love to hear your St. Anthony story too. Use our Contact Page or Email: shrine@franciscan.org or Call Colleen Cushard at: 513-721-4700. Share your prayers with us and our online community at our Prayer Page. You can donate to St. Anthony Bread or any of our ministries at our Donation Page.
Posted in: Prayer, Saint Anthony, Saint Francis
