The St. Anthony Prayer

The unfailing St. Anthony Prayer is a staple in households all around the world. This is a prayer that can be said if something is lost. 

Many people come up with St. Anthony’s prayer cards, which are simply ornate cards that show the depiction of St. Anthony and his prayer on the other side. 

For those who believe in Catholicism, there are such things as Patron Saints. These are people that are holy and are chosen by the Vatican to be canonized (be made a saint). 

St. Anthony, as you probably guessed, is the Patron Saint of lost things. If you pray to him or request that another person prays to St. Anthony for you, St. Anthony will get your prayer and pray for you as well. With this process, it merely means that the prayers are multiplied and then answered. 

What is the St. Anthony Prayer?

The St. Anthony prayer is this:

“Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints”

O Holy St. Anthony gentlest of Saints, your love for God and charity for His creatures made you worthy when on earth to possess miraculous powers. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me (request).

O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms. The gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen.”

Praying this St. Anthony prayer of lost things, or even a miracle, is something of great cultural significance. 

If you are stuck while trying to look for something or need to have a miracle granted, this is a great way to force the energy around you to go straight to what you are thinking of and need. 

A prayer is simply a way to ask things of God or give thanks. Though prayers do not always need to be asking for something, having specific words, like the St. Anthony prayer, makes it easier to form your thoughts into something that may be difficult to maneuver. 

Who Was St. Anthony?

St. Anthony was born into a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal, but is known as St. Anthony of Padua because he died in Padua, Italy. 

Anthony was ordained into the priesthood and soon after joined the Franciscans (an order of friars within the Catholic Church created by St. Francis of Assisi. Though he was born with the name Fernando, he chose the name Anthony after a church named Anthony the Great and was known as Anthony ever since. 

Catholicism sees saints as a way to have examples of how to act, as well as to have another layer of prayer (seen through the Patron Sainthood) to God. While they are prayed to, they are not worshiped, though many believe that is the case. 

Some famous stories from St. Anthony’s life are that he once was preaching, and many fish gathered around his feet at the edge of the water. To the people around him, he told them that the fish were more receptive to his words than they were. 

Another story is of St. Anthony challenging a heretic about the reality of God’s presence in the Eucharist. The man brought out a starving mule. In one hand was fodder and the other a piece of the Eucharist. Instead of eating either, the heretic was shocked to see the mule bowing to the Eucharist rather than eating it. 

St. Anthony’s prayer for miracles, as well as lost things, is thought to be “unfailing” due to the miraculous works he had done throughout his life.

The Aim of the St. Anthony Prayer

For miracles and lost things, St. Anthony is the perfect saint to pray to, especially with intercessory prayer. Because he is the Patron Saint of lost items, this intercessory prayer is done with passion and thought, as he prays for you to God. 

Not only is there a prayer out there for St. Anthony, but also a rhyme. The St. Anthony Prayer for lost items verse goes like this: “Dear St. Anthony, please come around (item) is lost and cannot be found.” 

This becomes a really great way to strengthen faith for children because it makes them learn the meaning of intercessory prayer, what the saints are patrons of, and how the saints can help in day-to-day life. 

It’s also an excellent way for them to work on memorization skills. This prayer and rhyme could help to create a new way of thinking for your child and even yourself. It allows you to take a step back and put your faith into the hands of God, or if you are not doing it for religious purposes, the universe. 

If you are not religious, the St. Anthony prayer for lost items rhyme can be a way to calm anxiety and to remind you to slow down, think, and walk through your day in order to find something. 

And it’s important to remember that this prayer is unfailing because God always answers our prayers––perhaps in ways we do not expect. This is why praying to a Patron Saint can be so beneficial: it can help you to make specific requests and focus your energy on what you need. 

Luckily, with the rhyme, the prayer can be shortened. Many people use the verse rather than the formal prayer because it is easier to remember. If you prefer the traditional prayer, a St. Anthony prayer card may be the best choice for you in order to memorize every word over a period of time. 

The shortening of prayers into rhymes or turning prayers into songs is not uncommon. In fact, it’s how most children learn their prayers, and slowly as they grow up, they are then expected to know the verse by heart.

How to Remember St. Anthony

Though he is a Patron Saint of lost things and can help with attaining miracles, St. Anthony can be remembered most easily through his rhyme. If you simply say, “Dear St. Anthony, please around, (item) is lost and cannot be found,” you’re sure to keep his story in your thoughts. 

Rituals and prayers are important in life, regardless of whether you are religious or not. This is because it gives us something to hold onto and to believe in other than ourselves. 

The St. Anthony prayer creates a way to connect with what you have gone through and put it into perspective of what you need and where you are going in life. 

Once you grow up knowing that St. Anthony will help you find your lost items, it becomes a habit throughout adulthood to go back to the rhyme and prayer of St. Anthony. 

So, take a step back when you’re trying to retrace your steps for something you misplaced and put your faith into St. Anthony. You are bound to see some kind of result from it, even if it isn’t the result you think it should be.