Anthony’s miracles were all astounding, but, those which most impressed both his followers and enemies were: His charming sermon to the fish at Rimini, when the heretics would not listen to him, The protection of his audience from a furious rainstorm that fell about them, the kneeling of the mule in front of Anthony as he held the Holy Eucharist, his appearance in the pulpit and the distant choir of his order at the same time, and the replacing and healing of the amputated foot of a boy, the delivering of his brethren from temptations and the preservation of people from injury. He is especially invoked for finding lost things, and through his intercession countless favors have been granted.

Toward the end of his short life Anthony chose Padua as his home. His name would forever be linked with that beautiful city. The simple yet remarkable life of Saint Anthony came to a close on the outskirts of the City of Padua on June 13, 1231. As the saint lay dying he was favored by a vision of Our Lord. His death was announced by the children of Padua, who ran through the streets and called out: “the Saint has died! the Holy Father has died!” No one had told the children this or given them any indication of Anthony’s passing.

His tomb was opened some thirty years later and though his body had turned to dust, his tongue, the symbol of his sacred eloquence, was miraculously preserved. Saint Bonaventure kissed it and exclaimed: “O, Blessed Tongue that always blessed to the Lord and caused others to bless Him, now is it manifest how numerous your merits were before God.”

Saint Anthony was canonized by Pope Gregory, IX on May 30, 1232, less than a year after his death. He was the second of many canonized Saints of the Franciscan Order, and perhaps the most popular of all the Saints in Christendom. During his brief life span he ascended to the greatest heights of holiness and won the entire world to his heart. No less a Pope than Leo XIII wrote: Remember that Saint Anthony is the Saint, not of Padua only, but of the whole world.” On July 16, 1946, Pope Pius XII declared Saint Anthony of Padua a “Doctor of the Universal Church,” with the title “Doctor of the Gospel,” the twenty-ninth Saint to be so honored.

Today, good works and favors are still granted in Saint Anthony’s name throughout the world. Saint Anthony is invoked as the “Saint of Miracles” and the finder of lost articles, he is known as the patron Saint of poor, and also of women who cannot conceive. There are few Catholic Churches without an image of the Saint, and people continue to honor him through festivals, novenas, fasting and prayer.

Pope John Paul II has said, “The study of Saint Anthony’s life convinces us that the reason for his irresistible attraction to people everywhere must be sought in the absolute fidelity with which he proclaimed the Gospel, and the courageous consistency with which he strove to embody its teachings.”

In Boston, Saint Anthony is honored by the Italian-American community of the North End with the largest Italian street festival in New England. Since 1919, Saint Anthony’s Feast has been celebrated on the weekend of the last Sunday of August. Called the “Feast of all Feasts” by National Geographic, this authentic festival offers parades, religious & cultural services, entertainment, Italian foods and novelties all on the beautifully decorated streets of the North End.The tradition and customs of honoring Saint Anthony of Padua in the North End of Boston date back to early part of the twentieth century and the large numbers of southern Italian immigrants that reached the shores of America at that time. Hundreds of thousands of poor European immigrants flooded the urban centers of northeastern United States. In Boston these immigrants settled in the North End. These immigrants brought with them the customs and traditions that they celebrated in their homeland for centuries. A group of men from the small mountain town of Montefalcione, Avellino, just east of Naples in the Campagnia region of Italy founded what is known as today as the San Antonio Di Padova Da Montefalcione, Inc. Since 1919, as is done in Montefalcione on the weekend of the last Sunday of August the Saint Anthony and Saint Lucy Societies and the people of the North End celebrate the Feasts of Saint Anthony and Saint Lucy.