Saint Talk:St. Anthony and Patron Saint Days

Source: Catholic Tradition

Popular Saint
Today is the feast of St. Anthony of Padua, one of the most beloved and popular saints in Catholic history and my confirmation patron saint. Known as the "hammer of the heretics," St. Anthony is often portrayed holding the infant Jesus. This is attributed to a miracle in which baby Jesus appeared to St. Anthony who was praying before the Blessed Sacrament in a small chapel.

Hammer of Heretics
St. Anthony was a tremendous speaker and teacher of the faith. So much so, that in 1946 the Church declared him a Doctor of the Church because of his ability to simplify the teachings of faith for ordinary people. He earned the monicker of Hammer of Heretics by putting these talents to great use in refuting heresy. While he was in Rimini, Italy, Anthony found the hearts of its citizens hardened by heresy; they would not listen to his preaching. Instead, he chose to preach at the banks of the sea to the fish. Schools of fish rose to surface to hear his preaching. The people of Rimini were moved to conversion by this miracle.

By Jason Bach

Patron of Lost Things
Today, he is often invoked as the patron of lost items. This devotion most likely originated as a result of story that holds that when Anthony was a teacher, he had a book of psalms that contained many of his notes. A novice who had determined to leave the order, stole the book and left. St. Anthony prayed for its return. Later the novice returned the book and re-entered the religious community.  Anthony is also patron of a number of other causes, including faith in the Blessed Sacrament.

Confirmation Names
Back in the day, people preparing for confirmation were encouraged to take a saint name. That saint would become that person's patron saint. I wrote a post last year in which I make the case for each of us having three patron saints. From what I can tell from reading some of the Catholic forums not many parishes are encouraging this practice of taking on a saint's name for confirmation. I want to encourage you to consider joining me in revitalizing this pious practice. We can all use an additional saint praying for us.

Patron Days

Finally, I want to take this opportunity to share a family tradition with you. A few years back we began to celebrate Baptism Days as Re-Birthdays. Additionally, we now celebrate Patron Saint Days. We don't do anything too extravagant. Last night, Stacey and I went out to dinner to celebrate the occasion. If you have children, you can make a special dessert and share stories about the particular saint. You might even join together in reciting a prayer associated with that saint. It's a nice way to bring attention to the liturgy, nurture devotion to the saint and to just have an excuse to celebrate.

Pope Francis Borrows Idea From Joe Catholic

Pope Gives Homework
I have been sharing with RCIA groups and Joe Catholic for years that we should celebrate our Baptism Days as our Re-Birthdays. Today Pope Francis pretty much said the same thing in his general audience and assigned everyone listening "homework" to go and find out their Baptism dates.

Baptism is a Big Deal
It goes without saying that Baptism is a big deal and it should be treated as such. In the interest of full disclosure, the truth is I got this idea from reading an article a few years ago on Catholic Culture that talked about the practice of celebrating Baptismal days like birthdays because they are our re-birth days. Our family now celebrates the anniversary of our re-birthdays. I recommend you do the same with your family. Treat your family member to their favorite meal, make them a cake and reflect on the readings from that day. You can also use it as an opportunity to review the Church teaching on Baptism. I assure you that doing all of this will enrich your lives. In preparing for a talk I was going to give to RCIA a few years ago, I discovered I was baptized on the traditional Feast of the Epiphany, January 6th. Now this feast day has even more personal meaning to me.

Find the Date
Take some time out in the next few days to discover the dates of your Baptism and those of your family. Mark the date on your calendar and plan on celebrating. If you don't remember the date, I have a few recommendations. First, if you received your marriage certificate from you parish, they would have had to confirm your previous sacraments. Additionally, you can contact the parish or diocese in which you were baptized. I was surprised that my old parish where I was confirmed had my records. This was fortunate since the church I was baptized in no longer exists. Even if that is the case, the diocese will have a record of the Baptism. If you were not Catholic at the time of your Baptism, it may take a little bit more work. Chances are you had to do this as part of the RCIA process. If not, try talking to some of your relatives that may remember. Most churches keep records of Baptisms.

Re-Birthday: Celebrating Our Baptismal Day

Last night our family attended the Easter Vigil and we saw a number of men, women and children entered fully into the Church. Many were baptized. Our parish has a Baptismal font that is large enough for adults to kneel within it and be covered in the pouring waters. There is no way they can forget that moment!

It goes without saying that Baptism is a big deal and it should be treated as such. A few years ago I read an article on Catholic Culture that talked about the practice of celebrating Baptismal days like birthdays because they are our re-birth days. We now celebrate the anniversary of our re-birthdays. I recommend you do the same with your family. Treat your family member to their favorite meal, make them a cake and reflect on the readings from that day. I assure you it will enrich your lives. In preparing for a talk I was going to give to RCIA a few years ago, I discovered I was baptized on the Feast of the Epiphany. Now that feast day has a more personal meaning to me.

Take some time out in the next few days to discover the date of your Baptism and mark it on your calendar.  Happy Easter!