Growing up in an Italian household, I heard the phrase “St. Anthony will help you find it!” so many times that the words were ingrained in me pretty much from birth! It didn’t matter what the “it” was, whether it was an object of little monetary value or an item more sentimental, my mother always had utmost trust and belief that if we prayed to the Patron Saint of Lost Things, we’d find whatever we kids had misplaced.

More often than not, she was right. And I’d be lying if I said I still don’t call on him when I misplace my everyday items. If not for St. Anthony, I might never find my car keys! My mom has always had a close relationship with St. Anthony, also the Patron Saint of Padova (Padua, in English), and she has passed that on. We were excited when a few years ago, we were able to visit his own preferred location in Italy.