St Anthony of Padua - San Antonio, TX
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 29° 30.112 W 098° 28.199
14R E 551371 N 3263706
Statue of St Anthony stands in front of the church entrance. Steps circle on either side of the statue.
Waymark Code: WM11YWE
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/13/2020
Views: 2
The church was built in 1957, so statue would probably date from that time period. Statue depicts a man in a monks robes. He is holding an open bible in his left hand at waist level. His right hand is raised and he is pointing heavenward with his index finger.
St. Anthony Organization
"St. Anthony of Padua is one of the Catholic Church’s most popular saints. Saint Anthony of Padua, patron saint of lost and stolen articles, was a powerful Franciscan preacher and teacher.
Anthony was born in 1195 (13 years after St. Francis) in Lisbon, Portugal and given the name of Fernando at Baptism. His parents, Martin and Mary Bulhom, apparently belonged to one of the prominent families of the city.
At the age of 15 he entered the religious order of St. Augustine. The life of the young priest took a crucial turn when the bodies of the first five Franciscan martyrs were returned from Morocco where they had been beheaded.
Fernando was inspired to a momentous decision. He went to the little friary in Coimbra and said, “Brother, I would gladly put on the habit of your Order if you would promise to send me as soon as possible to the land of the Saracens, that I may gain the crown of the holy martyrs.” After some challenges from the prior of the Augustinians, he was allowed to leave that priory and receive the Franciscan habit, taking the name Anthony.
While he never made it to Morocco he had many adventures. At age 36 he died. The following year, his friend, Pope Gregory IX, moved by the many miracles that occurred at Anthony’s tomb, declared him a saint. Anthony was a simple and humble friar who preached the Good News lovingly and with fearless courage. The youth whom his fellow friars thought was uneducated became one of the great preachers and theologians of his day. He was a man of great penance and apostolic zeal. But he was primarily a saint of the people."