St. Anthony of Padua: His Story, Feast Day & Praying for a Catholic Spouse
When Catholics hear the name St. Anthony of Padua, many immediately think of the familiar prayer: “St. Anthony, St. Anthony, come around. Something is lost and must be found.”
But St. Anthony is so much more than the patron saint of lost things.
He was a devoted Franciscan priest, powerful preacher, teacher, lover of the poor, and Doctor of the Church who spent his life helping people find their way back to Jesus. Today, Catholics around the world continue to ask for his intercession—not only when something is lost, but when we need help discerning God's will, growing closer to Christ, finding peace, and even discerning a future spouse.
When Is the Feast Day of St. Anthony of Padua?
The feast day of St. Anthony of Padua is June 13.
St. Anthony died on June 13, 1231, near Padua, Italy. He was canonized less than a year after his death, an extraordinary recognition of the holiness and impact of his life. He was later declared a Doctor of the Church in 1946 because of his profound teaching and preaching of the Gospel.
His feast day is a beautiful opportunity to learn more about this beloved saint, ask for his intercession, and remember the example he gave us: a life completely centered on Jesus.
Who Was St. Anthony of Padua?
St. Anthony was born in Lisbon, Portugal, around 1195. He was originally named Fernando Martins de Bulhões and came from a wealthy family.
As a young man, he entered religious life with the Augustinians. Later, after being deeply moved by the witness of five Franciscan friars who had been martyred while preaching the Gospel, Fernando desired to become a Franciscan himself. He joined the Franciscan Order and took the name Anthony.
Anthony eventually became known for his extraordinary gift of preaching and teaching. He knew Scripture deeply and had a remarkable ability to explain the Catholic faith in a way ordinary people could understand.
He preached throughout Italy and France, calling people back to repentance and a deeper love for Christ. His life was dedicated to serving God, defending the faith, caring for the poor, and leading souls toward Jesus.
Although we often remember St. Anthony for helping us find lost objects, there is a beautiful deeper meaning behind this devotion.
St. Anthony spent his life helping people who were spiritually lost find their way back to Jesus.
Why Is St. Anthony the Patron Saint of Lost Things?
Most Catholics know to turn to St. Anthony when something is lost. But have you ever wondered why?
The tradition comes from an incident involving something very precious to St. Anthony himself.
St. Anthony had a personal psalter—a book containing the Psalms—that was especially important to him. In the days before the printing press, books were precious because they had to be copied by hand. But Anthony's psalter was even more valuable to him because it contained his own handwritten notes and commentaries, which he used when teaching student friars in his Franciscan community.
According to the beloved tradition, a novice who had become tired of religious life decided to leave the community. When he left, he took St. Anthony's psalter with him.
When St. Anthony discovered that his precious book was missing, he prayed that it would be found and returned.
His prayer was answered.
The novice returned the psalter to St. Anthony—and, beautifully, he also returned to the Franciscan community and was welcomed back.
Over time, this story became the foundation for St. Anthony's beloved patronage of lost and stolen things. People began asking for his intercession when they misplaced something, and devotion to him as the finder of lost things spread throughout the Catholic Church.
But there is something deeper in this story than finding a missing book.
St. Anthony helped recover both a lost book and a lost person.
That gives us a beautiful reason to turn to him when more than an object is missing from our lives.
Perhaps we have lost our sense of peace.
Perhaps we have wandered from our prayer life.
Perhaps a relationship needs healing.
Perhaps someone we love has drifted away from the Catholic faith.
Or perhaps we are praying and waiting for something we deeply desire—such as discerning our vocation or finding a future spouse.
St. Anthony reminds us to bring these things to God in prayer and to trust in His providence.
When we ask for St. Anthony's intercession, we aren't asking him to simply "find" something for us. We are asking a faithful friend in Heaven to pray with us and for us, that God may lead us toward what is truly good for our lives and our salvation.
Why Is St. Anthony Holding the Child Jesus?
One of the most beautiful and recognizable images of St. Anthony shows him holding the Child Jesus.
But why?
The tradition comes from a story that St. Anthony experienced a mystical vision of the Christ Child. Although this account is traditionally understood as a pious legend rather than something established as historical fact, the image became deeply associated with the saint. Depictions of St. Anthony holding Jesus became especially popular beginning in the seventeenth century.
The image is incredibly meaningful.
St. Anthony spent his entire life preaching about Jesus. He taught Scripture, defended the faith, served the poor, and helped people turn their hearts toward Christ.
So when we see St. Anthony holding the Christ Child, we can remember the heart of his entire vocation:
Everything points back to Jesus.
Even when we ask St. Anthony for his intercession, we are ultimately asking him to pray with us and for us before God.
What Can We Ask St. Anthony to Pray For?
You can bring almost any sincere intention to St. Anthony and ask for his intercession.
Catholics especially turn to him for:
- Lost items
- Lost or troubled relationships
- Help finding our way when we feel spiritually lost
- Strength in difficult circumstances
- Help growing closer to Jesus
- The needs of the poor
- Guidance and discernment
- Help in finding a good and holy spouse
- Blessings for marriages and families
- Help trusting God's plan
The saints don't replace God, and they don't control the outcome of our prayers. Instead, we ask them to intercede for us—to pray with us and bring our intentions before God.
And St. Anthony is a beautiful saint to turn to when something important feels lost or uncertain.
Praying to St. Anthony for a Catholic Spouse
One lesser-known devotion to St. Anthony is asking for his intercession when discerning marriage and praying for a future spouse.
In some Catholic traditions, St. Anthony is associated with finding a spouse, and Catholics have long asked for his prayers when they desire a good and holy marriage.
If you are single and praying for your future husband or wife, St. Anthony can be a wonderful saint to invite into that season of your life.
But rather than simply praying, “St. Anthony, help me find someone,” consider making the prayer bigger:
St. Anthony, pray that God prepares me to become the spouse I am called to be.
Pray that God will bring the right person into your life at the right time.
Pray for a spouse who loves Jesus and desires to live a Catholic life.
Pray for someone who will help you grow in holiness—and someone whom you can help grow closer to Christ.
Pray for the wisdom to recognize a good and holy relationship.
And perhaps most importantly, pray for the grace to trust God's timing.
A Prayer to St. Anthony for a Future Catholic Spouse
St. Anthony of Padua, faithful servant of Jesus, I ask for your intercession as I pray for my future Catholic spouse.
Please bring my intentions before Jesus and ask Him to guide my heart and my choices. If marriage is God's will for me, help prepare me to become a loving, faithful, and holy spouse.
Pray that God will lead me to a spouse who loves Him, values the Catholic faith, and desires to build a marriage centered on Christ. Help me to recognize the person God places in my life and give me the wisdom and courage to follow His will.
And while I wait, help me grow closer to Jesus and become the person He is calling me to be.
St. Anthony, pray for me. Pray for my future spouse. Help us find one another and pray that our lives, if it is God's will, will ultimately lead each other closer to Christ. Amen.
Keep St. Anthony Close as a Reminder to Pray
One of the beautiful things about Catholic devotional items is that they can serve as little reminders throughout our day to stop, pray, and turn our hearts back toward God.
At Marie Madeleine, we offer two beautiful ways to keep devotion to St. Anthony close.
St. Anthony of Padua Rosary Pouch
St. Anthony of Padua Rosary Pouch
A meaningful place to keep your rosary while carrying a reminder of St. Anthony's powerful example and intercession. It makes a thoughtful Catholic gift for someone who has a devotion to St. Anthony or is beginning to develop a daily prayer life.
St. Anthony of Padua Necklace
St. Anthony of Padua Necklace – 14K Gold-Filled
This beautiful St. Anthony necklace features a meaningful saint medal on an 18-inch 14K gold-filled chain. Wear it as a reminder to turn to St. Anthony in prayer and ask for his intercession throughout your day.
Whether you are praying for something that has been lost, seeking direction, discerning your vocation, or asking God to prepare you for a future Catholic marriage, St. Anthony is a beautiful saint to have beside you in prayer.
St. Anthony of Padua, Pray for Us
Perhaps the greatest lesson St. Anthony gives us is that the things we are searching for should ultimately lead us closer to Christ.
When something is lost, we can ask St. Anthony to pray for us.
When we feel lost, we can ask St. Anthony to pray for us.
When we are discerning our vocation or praying for a future spouse, we can ask St. Anthony to pray for us.
And in every prayer, we can surrender our desires to God and trust that His plan is greater than our own.
St. Anthony of Padua, lover of Christ and faithful servant of God, pray for us.
St. Anthony, finder of lost things, pray for us.
St. Anthony, help us find our way back to Jesus.
St. Anthony, pray for those discerning marriage and for future Catholic spouses.
St. Anthony of Padua, pray for us!