Solanus’s struggle to find his place as a priest and member of the Capuchins followed him, in a sense, to his first assignment. Sacred Heart parish in the New York suburb of Yonkers, where Solanus arrived in 1904, looked down from a hill onto the Hudson River. The view from his window reminded Solanus of his childhood home in Wisconsin.

You do not have to walk very far along the famous Riverwalk that winds through the heart of San Antonio before you run into a lovely, life-size statue of Anthony of Padua. Nestled amidst tall green plants and holding the Child Jesus, the statue is located prominently along the public walk bordering the San Antonio River.

In my presence and in the presence of others, try to be always joyful, for it is not fitting that a servant of God appear before the brothers or other men with a sad and glum face. —Saint Francis

The encounter with the living Jesus…fills the heart with joy, because it fills it with true life, a profound goodness that does not pass away or decay. —Pope Francis