Born in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1195 and named Fernando (Ferdinand) by his parents, he joined the Canons Regular of St. Augustine at the age of fifteen, though after two years in their monastery just outside Lisbon, he asked his superiors for permission to move further away from his family because he found they distracted him from his religious vocation.

At Coimbra he encountered members of the brand new Order of Friars Minor which had just been established under the leadership of Francis of Assisi. In January of 1220, five Franciscans were martyred in Morocco, and as their remains made the return journey through Portugal, they inspired Fernando, who joined the Franciscans that same year and adopted the name Antonio (Anthony).

In December, he arrived in Morocco intending to preach to the Muslims and/or achieve the glorious crown of martyrdom, but he fell ill, and the following spring, he was sent home to Portugal. However, the ship carrying Anthony met with stormy weather and found itself wrecked on the coast of Sicily.

From there he travelled up to Assisi to attend the legendary “Chapter of Mats”, after which he was assigned to the hermitage of Monte Paolo in the mountains near the city of Forli. He spent his time praying and humbly performing menial tasks. None of his brother Franciscans had any idea of his great intelligence and erudition – until they were all invited to an ordination Mass for a group of Dominican and Franciscan friars. Anthony was asked to preach, and submitting humbly out of obedience, he gave an impromptu sermon which amazed everyone who heard it.

For the next several years, Anthony travelled through northern Italy and southern France, teaching at centres of learning, like Bologna, Toulouse, and Montpellier, and preaching the truths taught by the Catholic Church. Because he was so successful in leading people to the truth in a time and place where the heresy of Albigensianism was causing many people to stray, he is sometimes called the “Hammer of Heretics”.

In 1227, he returned to northern Italy as provincial of the Franciscan order in that region, and in 1229, he moved to Padua.

Anthony was a man who always had compassion for the poor and the oppressed and who inspired others to do likewise. His preaching drew such large crowds – sometimes up to 30,000 people – that he often spoke outside since there were no churches big enough to hold the vast numbers that flocked to hear him speak.

In 1231, Anthony became ill. He had been living at Camposampiero near Padua. Knowing that he would soon die, he attempted the journey to his beloved Padua but died on the way at a place called Arcella. His last words were: “I see the Lord!” It was Tuesday, June 13, 1231.