More than one St. Anthony story to tell.
The Great Wall of China is the backdrop for this photo of Mary Beth's husband Jack with their daughter Jen who was teaching in China at the time.
Mary Beth shares two stories of St. Anthony’s help.
The first is from many years ago and the second tells of St. Anthony’s help last Mother’s Day.
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Several years ago, one of our daughters was teaching English as a second language in China. She was homesick and although China had never been on our list of places to go, my husband and I agreed to visit her.
We purchased nonstop airline tickets that went over the North Pole from Newark, NJ, to China. When in the Newark Airport, which is absolutely HUGE, I wore my glasses instead of contacts on a chain around my neck, so I could hopefully nap on the very long trip. About an hour and a half after going through TSA screening, we were sitting at our gate. I saw a sign across the way that I wanted to read and put on my glasses which I use for distance. I could not see well out of one of the lenses and took them off to clean. To my surprise, the lens was missing! After checking our current area, we decided to walk back to the place where we went through security. We knew it would be extremely difficult to replace the glasses in China. Security was quite far away and it was unlikely we would find the lens, especially so long after losing it and how hard it would be to see, but I asked St. Anthony to help me.
A TSA agent was kind enough to allow me to go back through the security line to look for the lens. He and Jack stayed on the other side of security and talked. I didn’t find it and we were walking back to our gate when Jack asked my why St. Anthony didn’t find the lens. I told him that St. Anthony was probably very busy finding something really important, like world peace. Then we saw the TSA agent running to catch up with us. A few more moments and we would have been very hard to find in the enormous crowd. The agent had found the lens and I got to tell him about St. Anthony! I was so thankful not only for the found lens but also that my husband spent time talking with the TSA agent so he was aware of our situation. Thank you for your intervention St. Anthony
Keep reading for Mary Beth's second and more recent St. Anthony story.
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In honor of all organ donors and to raise awareness of the need for organ donors, Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center lights (in green) the statue of the Virgin Mary atop the hospital each time the Lourdes transplant team performs an organ transplant.
Several years ago my son, my daughter-in-law, and my grandchildren gave me a very special charm bracelet. Over the years they have each picked out meaningful and unique charms to add to it. I keep the bracelet in a very secure place, not only because of the sentimental value but also because I know the charms are quite costly.
On Mother’s Day I wanted to wear the bracelet but my husband Jack was in the hospital; he usually helps me with the clasp as I have arthritis in my hands. I took the bracelet with me to church, planning to ask a friend, if I needed assistance, but I decided to leave it in the car. I thought I had placed it carefully with my chaplet rosary, but, in retrospect, I must have thoughtlessly left it in my lap.
After church I went directly to the hospital to visit my husband. I got distracted by a picture he wanted me to take of a statue of Our Lady on the very top of the hospital; it is the center for transplants of organs – pancreas, kidneys, and livers – for South Jersey. Whenever a transplant is done, the statue has a beautiful light to notify the community. When I got home, I remembered the bracelet and went to retrieve it from the car and could not find it anywhere. I thought I might have lost it in the hospital parking lot which is very large; it is a distance away and can take up to 2 hours round trip. I was not looking forward to driving back to look for the bracelet, but I knew the longer I waited the more unlikely it would be to find it. I knew the bracelet would be virtually impossible to replace and I also dreaded the task of telling my daughter-in-law that I had lost such a special and thoughtful gift.
I prayed fervently to St. Anthony; then remembered that I went to church before I went to visit my husband. The church is only 10 minutes away so I headed there. I doubted the church would be open to check the lost and found. Before morning Mass I had not parked in my typical place but had parked in one of the less crowded areas of the parking lot as I had promised to help out with a fund drive. I went there and found the bracelet in the parking lot near where I had parked and miraculously it had not been run over by my car or any other and was perfectly intact! I could not say enough “thank you' s” to St. Anthony for my Mother’s Day gift from him!!
Mary Beth
We’d love to hear your St. Anthony story too. Use our Contact Page or Email: mailto:shrine@franciscan.orgor 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: Missions, News, Newsletter, Prayer, Saint Anthony
