Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-28
STAN THONY OF PAOUA
Honored by Roman Catholics
for Life of Devotion.

There are hundreds of saints in the Ro-
man Catholic Church calendar to whom
honor is shown by the faithful, just as a
nation has it's quota of heroes whose MEM
Dry and virtues are held in especial re-
membrance and regard. But among this
vast concourse to whom honor Is rendered
there those saints whose lives and
characteristics attract the greater number
of devoted followers, and if a chronological
tablet of the more popular saints were TO
be prepared it is safe to venture the asser-
ton that ST. Anthony of Padua would be
one of the first noted. Devotion to St. An
thony is said to have crossed the ocean
with the fathers, and he is invoked in
Catholic households almost as frequently
as the Blessed Virgin and st. Joseph. He
is known the saint of the world
st. Anthony of Padua was born in LIS
bon, Portugal, on August H. 1895. and was
a descendant of a long line of ancient and
illustrious ancestors, noted for their piety
and nobility of blood. Growing to man
hood, he Is said to have been surrounded
with all that family opuenee and a pleas
ing address might command, and though
residing in one of the gayest cities of the
old world he refused to yield to it's pleas
ures, but instead sought to follow a life of
prayer and devotion. His life is described
as itself a poem of supplcation and self
abnegation, directed particularly to the
mother of the Savior
In 1910 Fernando de Bouillon (for such
was his family name) had reached his ff-
teenth year and decided to renounce the
paternal roof and all earthly crowns and
enter an Augustinian monastery. His par
ents gave their consent and after a short
probation he clothed in the white robe
of the Canons Regular of St Augustine.
1t has been said that he saw in the re-
tot of Nd tha
ante-chamber of heaven. The monastery
was close to Lisbon, and his friends and
relatives spared nothing that affection
could suggest to draw him from the clols-
ter, but without avail. AT his own request
he was permitted to depart for another mon
astery that he might the more completely
withdraw himself from the worlds d1strac-
lions. The Abbey of Santa Cruz at Com
bra was the next scene of his labors. Here
the choir, the cell and the garden were the
three places between which st. Anthony
divided his time, and where mortflcation
became his armor. In the abbey the study
of letters kept pace with religious tram
Ing and he is stated to have had for his
masters two eminent scholars. He was ap-
pointed guest-master of the abbey, and
therefore came in contact with many traV-
elers and missionaries, some of whom were
afterWard martyred for their religious prin-
ciples and Christian ministrations.. About
this period St. Francis of Assist had de-
cided on a missionary campaign in Moroc-
CO. and sent three priests and two lay
brothers. who, on their way, stopped at the
abbey and presented themselves at court.
Here they were afforded q generous hos
pitality by Fernando, who at his leisure
discussed with them the origin ana name or
their institute. Scarcely had these mission
aries arrived in Morocco and proclaimed
their faith than they were put to death
by the sword. Through the intervention of
the King of Portugal the remains of the
five martyrs We're returned In triumphant
to Combra and deposited in the abbey
church of the Augustinian order.
The blood of martyrs is stated to have
proved an ever fruitful seed OF early Chrls-
tianity and no one was more impressed
with these solemn celebrations than Fer
nando de Bouillon. Only few months be
fore it had been his duty TO Hospitality en-
terrain the five strangers, and bending over
their shrine he invoked a like ending for
himself and to be associated with their
order on earth. During July, l22o, when,
according to their custom, the frlars OF
OIivarez came to the abbey. he made known
his longings to them, and stipulated that,
on becoming a member of their order, he
was to be sent on a mission to the Saracens
in Morocco. And thus Fernando de Bouil-
lon exchanged the white habit OF the Au-
gustinians for the coarser one of the Fran
ciscans; the riches of the abbey for Sc
raphic poverty. and the name of Fernando
for that of Anthony under which ne won
q conspicuous place in church history
eaving Santa Cruz. his ideal clearly
traced out for him. and making his pro-
fession at the hermitage of OllvareZ he
embarked for Morocco toward the end of
the year 1920, never to see his native
country again.
He is said TO have been filled with an in
describable emotion the threshold of
the soil still moist with the blood of his
late companions in the abbey, land once
famed for it's f1ourishing Christian church
es, great pontiffs and learned doctors. 10
rebuild these ruins was his great purpose,
but an all-seeing Providence seemed to have
ordained otherwise. No sooner had the
Young missionary touched the infidel shores
than he was taken i'll of fever, and not
once did he pass through the streets of
Morocco nor was his voice ever heard at
the gates of the mosques, and he was
forced to yield to the wishes of his supe-
riOrs and prepare to- return to his native
country.