On June 13, countless people celebrate the memory of one of the most popular Franciscan saints, Anthony of Padua (1191/5–1231).
Drawn to a life with God
Despite his common association with an Italian city, Anthony was actually a native of Portugal. He was baptized Fernando Martins de Bulhões and came from a prominent family of knights in Lisbon, then on the frontiers between Christian and Muslim cultures. His wealthy family arranged for him to be educated at the cathedral school. Drawn to a life with God, he entered the canons regular of the Holy Cross at the abbey of St. Vincent in Lisbon as a young man. Seeking greater solitude, he asked to be transferred to the motherhouse of the congregation, the abbey of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, where he received an excellent education in the Scriptures.
This is the Abbey of the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross (Santa