St. Anthony
 
St. Anthony is one of the most recognizable Saints, especially for those who lose or misplace items. If you lose your keys or something else valuable, you pray to St. Anthony, and Miraculously, you will find it! 
 
Image Explanation
 
While this is very helpful, the intercession of St. Anthony is much more powerful!
 
He is known as the "Miracle Worker," "Hammer of Heretics," and "Ark of the Covenant".
 
He was born in 1195 and became a member of the Order of St. Francis. You can see him pictured holding the Child Jesus, as Anthony is often associated with, for one day, Anthony was reading the Word of God when the Living Word (Jesus) appeared to him. 
 
St. Anthony was most known for his eloquent and compelling preaching.  St. Anthony exhorted the faithful to conversion, laity and clergy alike.  He preached against the vices of luxury, avarice, and tyranny.  At a time of fighting between the city states of Italy, his sermons inspired  peaceful reconciliations.  He also converted many heretics to the faith with his solid, persuasive, and compassionate arguments. 
 
He was especially noted for his defense of the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, the Immaculate Conception, Assumption of Mary, and the infallibility of the Pope.  By the end of his life, 30,000 people would gather in Padua to listen to him; moreover, so many were moved to repentance that more priests had to be found to hear confessions.  For these reasons, he was given the title “Hammer of Heretics” and “Ark of the Covenant.”
 
Pope Gregory IX, who heard St. Anthony preach, in his canonization decree gave him the title “Ark of the Covenant,” for just as the original Ark held the Sacred Scriptures, so did St. Anthony in his person. 
 
St. Anthony is also known as the "Miracle Worker" for the many miracles attributed to him. 
 
A Jewish merchant challenged St. Anthony to prove the “fable” of the Holy Eucharist and devised a contest.  The merchant would starve a donkey for three days, denying it any kind of food.  Meanwhile, St. Anthony retreated to the forest where he would fast and pray for three days.  At the end of the three days, St. Anthony returned to town, and went to the Church where he obtained the Blessed Sacrament.  He then went to the town square where the donkey was.  The merchant placed a bale of hay twenty feet from the hungry donkey.  The donkey was untied and walked toward the hay. 
 
St. Anthony then exposed the Blessed Sacrament and called to the donkey, “Mule, in the name of the Lord our God, I command you to come here and adore your Creator!”  The donkey stopped as though someone had pulled him by a bridle, turned, and walked to St. Anthony.  The donkey bent his forelegs, bowing to the Blessed Sacrament with his head toward the ground.  The Jewish merchant was astonished, asked St. Anthony for forgiveness, and converted.