Anthony of Padua is one of the best-known, most beloved, and most venerated saints throughout the world.
People have always turned to him to intercede for children, families, the sick, parents, children, to find lost things... for the most diverse needs. His life inspires admiration and wonder, a life entirely devoted to God and to his brothers and sisters.

He is born in Lisbon in 1195 and baptized with the name Fernando; he spends his early years of formation under the guidance of the cathedral canons.
At about fifteen, he joins the Augustinians at the convent of San Vincenzo, outside the walls of Lisbon. He remains there for two years, then, perhaps to avoid the distractions caused by friends and relatives, asks to be transferred to Coimbra, where another Augustinian abbey stands.
During the eight years he remains there, he studies the Bible and theology with great success, becoming one of the most learned ecclesiastics in Europe of his time. At the age of twenty-five, he is already a priest.

In 1220, the relics of five Friars Minor missionaries who had been tortured and killed in Morocco are brought to Coimbra, to the Church of Santa Cruz, precisely where Fernando was staying. This is a decisive encounter for the young man, who, in September 1220, leaves the Augustinian Canons to enter the Order of Friars Minor. With the beginning of a new life, he also has a new name: Antonio. Determined to shed his blood for Christ, he sets out as a missionary for Morocco.
Once he arrives, he falls ill; we do not know exactly what illness he suffered from, and his dream of preaching comes up against reality. The illness does not leave him, and, surrendering to God's will, he decides to set out again to return to his homeland. The ship that was supposed to take him back to Portugal, because of contrary winds, ends up on the coast of Sicily.
Antonio is forced to spend two months recuperating and, once he has recovered, sets out for Assisi to attend the 1221 Chapter of the Mats. Here he meets the Little Poor Man, and his choice to devote his life to Francis's charism becomes stronger and is confirmed.
The friars send him to Montepaolo, in Romagna, where he prays, meditates, and places himself at the service of his brothers. In September 1222, priestly ordinations take place in Forlì and, when the preacher who was supposed to attend does not arrive, the friars - knowing that Anthony is a priest - ask him to replace him. Although the Saint has had no opportunity to prepare, he captivates the audience with his simple yet profound words, the fruit of a culture and talent entirely his own.
From that moment on, he becomes the Order’s preacher and is sent to northern Italy and southern France to bring evangelical clarity to those lands marked by the presence of many heretical movements. The Saint does not hold back even when he finds himself having to reprimand ecclesiastics for their questionable morality.
At the end of 1223, the proposal to teach theology leads him to become a professor in Bologna, a position he holds for two years, thus becoming the Order’s first friar theologian.

In 1226, Anthony is in France, in Limoges. We do not know exactly when he returns to Italy, but it is certain that on May 30, 1227, Pentecost, he takes part in the Order’s General Chapter in Assisi.
He resides in Padua during two periods: between 1229 and 1230 and, later, between 1230 and 1231, when Sister Death comes for him: during Lent in 1231, he spares no effort in preaching, without ever forgetting the city’s sick and poor; the exertions he undertakes wear down his already frail body. After Easter, he retreats to Camposampiero - not far from Padua - where he is hosted by Count Tiso. Eager to live in poverty, he asks to spend his days in a shelter built in a walnut tree. There he prays, contemplates, and spends time with the humble people of the area.

On Friday, June 13, 1231, he is struck by an illness. He asks to die in Padua, so his fellow friars place him on an ox-drawn cart. When he reaches Arcella, a village on the outskirts of the city, he feels that the time has come to surrender himself to his God one last time and, whispering the words, «I see my Lord», he dies.
The following Tuesday, June 17, 1231, the funeral is held and proves to be a true triumph. From this first Tuesday, the tradition of turning to the friar from Padua to ask for his intercession for several consecutive Tuesdays begins to spread. Thus, devotion to the thirteen Tuesdays dedicated to Saint Anthony becomes established, a practice still widely observed and cherished by all his devotees.