A few decades ago, even centuries ago, ancestors used to name their children with the name of the saint of the day they were born, not in vain in the famous “Mañanitas” there is a stanza that says: “Today, because it is your saint’s day, we sing them to you here…”.
He onomastic refers to the day in which a saint is celebrated, although it is common for many people to use it as a synonym for birthdays, which is wrong, since when talking about it we only refer to the list of the names of the saints.
Like every day of the year, today we also commemorate the women and men who stood out for having special connections with the deities, who did good deeds for their neighbors and who had high ethics and morals, reasons that led them to be canonized or beatified and be part of the saints.
This is the saint’s day Thursday June 13.
He was born in Lisbon on August 15, 1195, with the name of Fernando de Bulhões, into a wealthy family descended from the crusader Godfrey of Bouillon and died in Padua on June 13, 1231.
When he was baptized he received the name Fernando. His family provided him with a solid education at the local cathedral school. Contrary to the wishes of his family, Fernando entered the Augustinian Abbey of Saint Vincent on the outskirts of Lisbon. The monks of the order of Saint Augustine, of which he was a member, were famous for his dedication to studies. Fernando studied the Holy Scriptures, Saint Jerome, Saint Augustine, Saint Gregory the Great and Saint Bernard. He also studied Latin classics such as Ovid and Seneca.
He adopted the name Antonio in honor of Anthony the Great to whom the Franciscan hermitage in which he resided was dedicated. On the feast of Pentecost in 1221 thousands of friars gathered in Assisi, an episode that has gone down in history as the Chapter of the Mats since many of the friars gathered there had to sleep on mats. This General Chapter had as its theme a verse from Psalm 143: “Blessed be the Lord my God who trains my hands for battle” and was presided over by Cardinal Raniero Capocci in the absence of the patron of the order, Cardinal Ugolino dei Conti di Segni who would be the future Gregory IX, the pope who will canonize Saint Francis. Once the meeting was concluded, the provincial of Bologna, Friar Graziano, sent him to a small hermitage in the mountains of the town of Montepaolo to serve as a priest. This was one of the happiest periods in the life of Anthony of Padua who had finally begun to live in absolute simplicity.
At the end of the summer of 1222 the Franciscan community descended to the valley to attend priestly ordinations in the cathedral of Forlí. Antonio was forced to preach when the preacher could not arrive and everyone was amazed by his sermon. From then on, he traveled throughout northern Italy and southern France, preaching especially in areas where heresy prevailed.
He is said to have been an eloquent preacher with a clear, strong voice, an attractive smile and a wonderful memory. He called “Evangelical Doctor.” He wrote sermons for all the holidays of the year. With the zeal of an apostle he undertook the task of reforming the morality of his time, combating in a special way lust, greed and tyranny. His written work is the Latin Sermons.
Saint Anthony of Padua holds the record for the fastest canonization in history. He was declared a saint 352 days after his death, on May 30, 1232, the feast of Pentecost. His death occurred on June 13, a day of popular celebrations in Lisbon. Saint Anthony is the patron saint of Lisbon, Padua, where his remains remain, and numerous other cities, such as Concordia (Entre Ríos), in Argentina.
Due to the numerous miracles attributed to him, he is acclaimed throughout the world. The inhabitants of Padua built in his memory a magnificent basilica where his remains were transferred in 1263. When the vault in which his body remained for thirty years was opened, it was found that his flesh had been reduced to dust but his tongue , which had been used for preaching, remained intact with a vivid red color. Buenaventura affectionately took the tongue in his hands and kissed it, exclaiming: “Oh blessed tongue that always praised the Lord and made others praise him, you now make your merits evident before the Lord.
The fame of Saint Anthony’s miracles has never diminished, and even today he is recognized as the greatest miracle worker of all time. As a renowned orator he attracted crowds wherever he went speaking in multiple languages and according to legend even the fish in the Brenta were enraptured by his preaching.
One of the most revered saints, his little cards and sculptures are found everywhere. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church on January 16, 1946 and is called the “Evangelical Doctor” on many occasions. He is especially invoked when finding lost objects. He is also invoked to counteract famine and scarcity. Patron of amputees, animals, rowers, Brazil, of the diocese of Beaumont, of domestic animals, of the elderly, of pregnant women, of faith in the Holy Sacrament, of Ferrazano, of fishermen, of crops, of horses, of Lisbon, of small animals, of the mail, of sailors, of the oppressed, of the poor, of Padua, of Portugal, of sailors, of the sterile, of pig farmers, of the Tigua Indians, the stewardesses, the travelers and the water carriers.
In Portugal, Brazil and some parts of Latin America he is recognized as the saint of marriages and on his feast day (June 13) unmarried girls can buy a small image of Saint Anthony and place it upside down as punishment until they have found a good husband. This curious devotion has been portrayed many times in Portuguese and Latin American popular culture.
Along with this character there is other saints and martyrs which are also celebrated this Thursday, June 13, as the following:
San Fandila of Córdoba
Saint Aquilina virgin and martyr
Saint Aventinus martyr
Saint Cetheus of Amiternus
Saint Eulogius of Alexandria
Saint Felicle
Saint Trifilius
Blessed Achilleus of Alexandria
Blessed Maria Ana Biernacka
The Catholic and Orthodox Church uses canonization to declare as a saint a deceased person who during his or her life made sacrifices or was related to a divine event in favor of the church.
This involves including the person’s name in the canon (list of recognized saints) and the permission of the Catholic Church to venerate her is granted, recognizing her power before God.
During Christianity, people were recognized as saints without the need for a formal process; However, this changed in the Middle Ages. In the case of Catholicism, The Church must carry out an exhaustive investigation of the life of the person to be sanctified.
For the Catholic Church there are four ways to achieve the appointment: the path of heroic virtues; the path of martyrdom; that of exceptional causes, confirmed by an ancient cult and written sources; and that of the offer of life.
In addition, it is considered whether the person lived the Christian virtues to a heroic degree or whether he suffered martyrdom because of his faith, likewise, It is an essential requirement that he have performed at least two miracles (or one in the case of being a martyr).
Catholicism is one of the most widely practiced religions in the world. The most recent data from the Vatican – particularly from its Ecclesial Statistical Yearbook – indicate that there are more than 1,360 million Catholics in the world.
The American continent is where Catholics are most prevalent, with almost half of those registered by the Vatican, with more than a quarter located in South America.
In recent years, the Vatican has noted that the presence of Catholics has increased significantly on two continents: Asia – particularly the Middle East – and Africa.
In contrast, religious numbers in Europe have been declining, while in Oceania they have remained stable.
