Antonio

A few years ago I gave a week-long lecture series in a small town in northern Italy.  The sessions took hours, between time for translation and many, many questions.  One particular evening, someone inquired as to a patron saint for finding one's spouse.  While St. Raphael is considered one patron, I also mentioned that St. Anthony of Padua is a patron for women waiting for a husband.  This hit home for the attendees because Padua was a short drive away.


One young man -- single -- pulled a holy card of St. Anthony out of his shirt pocket and said in a slow, mildly creepy voice, "Antonio!"


And for the rest of the week, whenever I talked about marriage or was asked about dating or discernment, "Antonio" would reappear.


Today is the feast of said, "Antonio."  It's a great day to say a prayer for one's future vocation, and to ask the patron of lost items to help us to find where the Lord is calling us.


Happy feast day!