Franciscan Spirit Blog

St. Anthony of Padua

St. Anthony, Help Me Find…Beauty

St. Anthony of Padua, that Hammer of Heretics, serves as a model to me that I am to preach against any dualism within myself that blocks an openness to beauty.
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St. Anthony statue

St. Anthony, Help Me Find…Well-Being

Life can often feel like, in St. Anthony’s words, “choppy water,” and we can indeed lose our sense of bearing when things get chaotic or even hostile.
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St. Anthony Statue

St. Anthony, Help Me Find…Community

One of my favorite stories of St. Anthony is the one about how, during the final years of his life, the friars built Anthony a treehouse in a large walnut tree not far from the friary.
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St. Anthony, Help Me Find…Stability

Anthony can, through meditation and prayer, help us find a sense of calm long enough to hear God’s voice.
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St. Anthony statue

St. Anthony, Help Me Find…Peace

St. Anthony’s peaceful way of being still impresses after 800 years.
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nanny-child-walk

Carlo Acutis and the Gift of Presence

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Often attributed to John Lennon, this quote from American journalist Allen Saunders speaks to me especially this week of April 21, 2025, as I write this piece...
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creek-francis

Easter and the Unexpected: St. Francis and Pope Francis

Easter is certainly a time of the unexpected, the wonder of what was, is, and will be forever. I recently recalled a story from my maternal aunt. She had a home with a beautiful agrarian space, complete with a natural creek ...
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