St. Anthony of Padua (ca. 1195– June 13, 1231) Doctor of the Church
It is said that Antony in his private prayers often directed his prayers to Jesus as an infant, and meditated on the extreme humility in which God in Christ displayed when He embraced the limitations of being a helpless baby. Artists often portray Antony in a Franciscan robe, carrying a lily and the child Jesus.
O God, who by your Holy Spirit gave your servant Antony a love of the Holy Scriptures, and the gift of expounding them with learning and eloquence, so that your people might be established in sound doctrine and encouraged in the way of righteousness, grant us always an abundance of such preachers, to the glory of your Name and the benefit of your Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
