Santo Antônio Matchmaker: miracles, prayer, sympathy and more!

Saint Anthony is a saint who loves men and God above all else. It was this love that made him an itinerant preacher of the gospel and protector of the lowliest. With this gift, the Saint receives a special charisma that seems to meet the needs of his devotees.

Devotion to this Saint surpasses rational understanding, because he nurtures a cohesive discourse that reveals the purest and simplest love. It is very likely that you know someone who is passionately seeking this spiritual guide. The Saint, noble and rich by birth, who chose poverty and charity for his life.

With the fame of a matchmaker, for bringing together couples in love, Santo Antônio conquered the hearts of many faithful around the world. But the story of the Saint goes far beyond the fame of “matchmaker”. Read this article to learn more interesting details about the life of the admired Saint.

From Portugal to the world, Santo Antônio has become extremely popular in different cultures. His proximity to the poor and his fame as a matchmaker made him an example known and imitated by many faithful. See below for the most intriguing details of the Saint’s life.

Santo Antônio, or Santo Antônio de Pádua, was born in Portugal and baptized in the city of Lisbon with the name Fernando Antônio de Bulhões. It is believed that he was born on the 15th of August between 1191 and 1195. There is no consensus on the exact date of birth of Saint Anthony.

His family was noble and wealthy, moreover, Antônio was the only son of Matinho de Bulhões, a respected officer in the army of Dom Afonso and Tereza Taveira. First, his formation was carried out by the canons of the Cathedral of Lisbon. It is known that he was a reserved student and that he was very fond of studying.

When he turned 19, contrary to his father’s wishes, Antonio decided to enter religious life. He entered the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora, maintained by the canons of Santo Agostinho and lived there for two years. During this period, he had access to books, teaching theology, Catholic doctrine, as well as history, mathematics, rhetoric, and astronomy.

Subsequently, Fernando requested a transfer to the Monastery of Santa Cruz, in Coimbra. At the time, it was an important center of studies in Portugal. There he stayed ten years and was ordained a priest. He was intellectually well prepared and the young priest’s gift for words was soon seen to overflow. To this day he is remembered for his great preaching power.

Still in Coimbra, Father Antônio met the Franciscan friars and was enthusiastic about the way in which they lived the Gospel. The fervor and radicalism impressed him. The change to the Order of Friars Minor was inevitable and the transformation from Augustinian to Franciscan soon took place. At that moment, he became Friar Antônio and moved to the Monastery of São Francisco de Assis.

After joining the Franciscan Order, Friar Antônio awoke the desire to be able to go and announce the Gospel in Morocco. He soon obtained the proper license and undertook the crossing to Africa. But when he arrived on African soil, he suffered the impact of the climate and a high fever attacked him for weeks. Debilitated, he was unable to evangelize and had to return to Portugal.

On the return trip, the ship was surprised by a violent storm that diverted it from the route. He was swept away by the current, finally being thrown onto the shores of Sicily, Italy. It was there, at a meeting of friars, at the Chapter of Mats, that Antônio personally met Saint Francis of Assisi.

The encounter with St. Francis of Assisi brought a new chapter in the history of St. Anthony. For 15 months he lived as a hermit, isolated on Monte Paolo. After this moment of penance, Saint Francis identified in Antônio the gifts that God had given him and entrusted him with the theological formation of the brothers of the Monastery.

Once, Friar Antonio was sent to Rome to present matters of interest to the Franciscan order and his intelligence and eloquence impressed Pope Gregory IX. He had an engaging oratory and knowledge that allowed him to make good use of words. For this reason, Saint Francis appointed him reader of the Theology of the Order.

With much study, he began to preach better and better and speak to crowds. People loved to watch him preach and many miracles happened. When San Francisco died, Friar Antonio was summoned to Rome to present the rule of the Order of San Francisco to the Pope.

Antônio was called Santo still in life. Soon after his burial, it wasn’t long before reports of miracles attributed to him began to appear. Less than a month after his death, Pope Gregory IX opened the process to canonize the friar. Friar Antônio attracted people from all social classes and fed the flame of popular devotion.

At the time, 53 miracles were attributed to her intercession. The reports brought health problems, paralysis, deafness and the story of a girl who would have drowned and come back to life. There is also the report of crew members of a boat adrift, in the middle of a storm, who prayed to the Saint and found their way back. For this life of donation, prayer and evangelization, today he is the saint of miracles, protector of marriages, lost things and the poor.

In the last years of his life, Saint Anthony was attacked by hydrops, a serious form of the disease, which often prevented him from walking and made his priestly ministry even more difficult. Debilitated, he died in Padua, Italy, on June 13, 1231, aged 40. He is also known as Santo Antônio de Pádua and Santo Antônio de Lisboa, for being his hometown.

It is said that shortly before he died at the gates of Padua, he uttered the following words: “O glorious Virgin who art above the stars”. And he added: “I see my Lord”. Soon after, he passed away.

The devotion to this Saint is inexplicable. The phenomenon surpasses rational understanding and throughout the centuries, Santo Antônio has always exerted a special and mysterious attraction, which lasts today. The Saint of Lost Things is a teacher and model for many priests, religious and lay people. That’s because, his preaching reaches all hearts.

His writings reflect profound teachings that fascinate multitudes. He wasn’t just a soulwinner. In a special way, he rescued people from corruption and sin and encouraged a courageous and intense Christian life. Both in life and in the present day, Saint Anthony gathers fervent devotion and continues to be one of the most effective spiritual guides.

There is no one who does not know the fame of the “matchmaker” of the Saint. Around the world he is the patron saint of many professions and things, but in Brazil his image is related to marriage. Learn the reason for the fame of Santo Antônio and understand how all this superstition came about.

Saint Anthony is an important figure when it comes to love. It is said that, still in life, he was a fierce opponent of families who promoted combined marriages only thinking about their interests. He believed that couples should be formed out of love and not out of what he called the commodification of the sacrament.

There are reports, with the outline of legend, that he would have helped a girl to get money for the wedding dowry by diverting donations received by the church. There are other versions of these stories, but it is not known which one led him to fame as a “matchmaker”.

Another intriguing account related to the Saint is the story of a woman, very devout, who was disgusted with the fact that she remained single for so long and in a fit of rage, she grabbed the saint and threw him out of the window.

At that moment, a man was passing on the street and was hit by the image. Embarrassed, the girl offered help and apologized. The two started talking, got to know each other and ended up falling in love. The meeting turned into the wedding she had asked for so much.

At the time of the dowry, the bride’s family should offer goods to the groom’s family. Poor girls had nothing to offer and they were desperate, as it was inappropriate for a woman not to marry. Legend has it that one of them knelt down at the feet of an image of Saint Anthony and asked with faith. A while later, gold coins appeared and she was able to get married.

Another story reveals the drama of a girl, whose family could not pay the wedding dowry. She asked the Friar for help and he gave her a note that said to look for a certain merchant. This one, when found, would hand him silver coins in the same weight as the paper.

The merchant agreed, as he was sure the paper would not weigh too much. When put on the scale, the paper weighed 400 grams! Surprised, the businessman was forced to comply with the agreement and handed him 400 silver coins. Despite this, he was relieved, as he had also made a promise to the saint of 400 coins that had not been donated. Finally, the young woman got married and the donation to the saint fulfilled its mission.

The Patron Saint of Padua and Lisbon has a legion of devotees around the world. The power of Saint Anthony is told and retold through generations. On the date when his day is celebrated, the faithful usually do sympathies and leave him grounded to get his attention. The miraculous Saint is the help that many seek in uncertain times.

It is common, on the day of the saint, to distribute bread rolls so that families can keep them at home and always have plenty of food. Girls looking for a boyfriend, or wanting to get married, ground him until they get what they want.

Others take the baby Jesus that the image carries and only give it back when they reach the cause. Trezens are also made in his name, with prayers and a blue ribbon, which is knotted each week. At the end of the thirteen weeks, it is believed that grace will be achieved.

Syncretism is the fusion of different cults or religious doctrines. This synthesis is made through the reinterpretation of some elements. That’s why Umbanda and Catholicism are often related.

In this case, the association Exu and Santo Antônio refers to several similarities between both entities. In Bahia it is syncretized with Ogum and in Recife with Xangô. Read below about these relationships.

In Bahia, Ogun represents…