Prayer to St. Anthony and the Miraculous Letter Delivery

The Vision of St. Anthony of Padua by Giovanni Battista Pittoni

St. Anthony of Padua was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan order, the largest religious order in the Roman Catholic Church. For almost 800 years, he has been one of the most well-known miracle-working saints. He performed so many miracles during his lifetime, and so many more through his intercession immediately after his death, that he was canonized by Pope Gregory IX eleven months after his death. That was the fastest canonization in the history of the Church. Beatified and canonized on 30 May 1232, he was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church on 16 January 1946. His Feast Day is celebrated on 13th June. As the patron saint of lost or stolen items, he is venerated all over the world. Above is a painting of St. Anthony by the Italian painter, Giovanni Battista Pittoni, completed in August 1730. This painting is now in the San Diego Museum of Art, a fine arts museum in California (You can click here to read more about the miracles of St. Anthony).

St. Anthony is my patron saint and I have been praying for his intercession for as long as I can remember. In this article, I would like to share the miracle that I have experienced recently through the intercession of St. Anthony. I was a lecturer in a tertiary institution in the state of Pahang from April 2015 to February 2018. In December 2017, I applied to be transferred back to a school in Kuala Lumpur because I really couldn't adapt to life in that state. It was also very tiring for me to travel to and from Kuala Lumpur every weekend. One week before Christmas, I was told that my transfer was approved and that I would receive my letter of approval through the Education Ministry. The letter was posted to me and I received it on 5 January 2018. Following the letter of approval, it would take some time for placement and this would also require approval from the Education Ministry. On 2 February 2018, I was told that the placement / transfer letter would be sent to me after the officer-in-charge has signed it but he was not around at that moment. My heart sank as this would mean that I would have to pack my bags and return to Pahang on the third day of Chinese New Year. This would also mean that I might have to stay in Pahang until March as it would take some time for the letter to reach me by post. That weekend, when I went back to Kuala Lumpur, I prayed to St. Anthony and put the letter which I received from the Education Ministry (on Jan 5th.) under his picture on my altar. On this letter, I wrote the letters S.A.G. Guess what happened? On 8 February 2018, the clerk told me that my transfer letter was faxed to her that morning! That was really good news for me - on 14 February 2018, I was so happy to say "Goodbye Pahang, Hello Kuala Lumpur" and of course I had a wonderful Chinese New Year (Chinese New Year fell on 16 February 2018). Was this a miracle or merely a coincidence? Sometimes, we just cannot deny the fact that Heaven does help us. Why did I write the letters S.A.G. on the letter before I put it under St. Anthony's picture? Please read the story below.

In the year 1729, Antonio Dante, a Spanish merchant, left Spain for South America on a business venture in Lima, Peru. His wife did not follow him but remained in Spain. She wrote many letters to him but there was no reply from him even after months of waiting. As she was worried about her husband and almost running out of money, she wrote a letter to her husband and brought it to the Church of St. Francis in Oviedo where there was a large statue of St. Anthony. She placed the letter in the hand of St. Anthony's statue and prayed to St. Anthony for his intercession to deliver the letter to her husband.

When she returned to church the next day, she saw a letter in the hand of St. Anthony's statue but it was not the one that she has written. As she was trying to remove the letter, 300 golden coins fell from the sleeve of the statue. And to her astonishment, the letter was from her husband. The letter, which was dated 23^rd July 1729, is as follows:

"My dearest wife, For some time I have been expecting a letter from you, and I have been greatly troubled and concerned at not hearing from you. But at last your letter has come, and given me joy. It was a Father of the Order of St. Francis who brought it to me. You complain that I have left your letters unanswered. I assure you that when I did not receive any from you I believed you must be dead, and so you may imagine my happiness at the arrival of your letter. I answer you now by the same religious Father, and send you three hundred golden crowns, which should suffice for your support until my approaching return.

In the hope of soon being with you, I pray God for you, and I commend myself to my dear patron St. Anthony, and ardently desire that you may continue to send me tidings of yourself.

Your most affectionate,
Antonio Dante

It should be noted that the letter was originally written in Spanish and has been preserved in the Church of St. Francis in Oviedo until today. It has since become common practice in some parts of the world to write the letters S.A.G. (St. Anthony Guide) on envelopes and parcels before posting for their safe delivery. To me, it was not just safe delivery but fast and miraculous delivery. Thank you, St. Anthony.

You may also like to read WHAT IS SO WRONG ABOUT PRAYING TO THE SAINTS?; THE MIRACLES OF MEDJUGORJE and LOURDES: MIRACLES AND THE MIRACULOUSLY HEALED. To view the content page of this blog, please click here.

References:
1. Paul, Tessa. The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Saints. Hermes House.
2. Craughwell, Thomas J. (2016). Heaven Help Us. Chartwell Books.