St. Anthony of Padua, Italy

Saint Anthony of Padua is the Patron Saint of:
Lost items
Poor
Travelers
Born into a noble family at Lisbon, Portugal, in 1195 (on August 15, it is believed), and baptized Fernando, the man we would come to know as St. Anthony was 15 years old when he entered the Canons Regular of St. Augustine. He was trained for the priesthood in Coimbra, in the monastery of the Holy Cross, and ordained at the age of 24.
The turning point came in 1220 when the remains of five Franciscan missionaries tortured and killed in Morocco reached the church of the Holy Cross. Fernando decided to leave the Augustinian canons and follow in the footsteps of Francis of Assisi, choosing then to be called Anthony, in imitation of the great Desert Father of that name.
Owing to the immense talents he brought to serve the Kingdom of God, Anthony was appointed - at the age of 32 - superior of the Franciscan fraternities of northern Italy. It was in Padua that his Sermons was written, a treatise for the formation of his Franciscan confreres in the preaching of the Gospel and the teaching of the sacraments, especially Penance and the Eucharist. His Lenten preaching in 1231 has come to be considered his spiritual testament, along with his loving dedication, for hours and hours, to the hearing of confessions.
On June 13, Antonio was caught up in a hurricane; he realized that his time was near, and he desired to die in Padua. He was transported in a wagon drawn by oxen, but died at Arcella, a settlement just outside the city. On his lips as he expired, were the whispered words, “I see my Lord.” Debtor to the thought of St. Augustine of Hippo, Anthony throughout his whole life lived the harmony of mind and heart, seeking the wisdom of speculation and practicing virtue, equally dedicated to study and prayer. A Doctor of the Church, in Padua he is is simply called “the Saint”.
St. Anthony's well-established holiness, combined with the many miracles he had worked during his lifetime, moved Pope Gregory IX - who knew the saint personally - to canonize him one year after his death.
“St. Anthony, residing now in heaven, is honored on earth by many miracles daily seen at his tomb, of which we are certified by authentic writings,” proclaimed the 13th-century Pope.