Saint-Antoine: why we should not turn the saint upside down

This Sunday, June 13, Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua, a Catholic saint who is associated with multiple beliefs and rites, such as this popular legend in which it is considered that flipping the statuette will get suitors.

According to tradition, anyone in search of love must place the image of Saint Anthony with his feet raised. In addition to this, those who wish to obtain the favor of this need to receive 13 pieces offered friends or acquaintances and later offer them to the saint.

However, according to the magazine Faith, there are three main reasons why you shouldn’t turn your head. First, it indicates that said practice borders on superstition and “conditions the grace of God and the intercession of the saints”.

In addition to this, they clarify that Saint Anthony of Padua cannot be “Martyr” and do not suffer because he is a saint. In the same sense, neither does his image, since it is a figure.

Finally, the religious community emphasizes that the Church considers a “Lack of respect” to turn the image of a saint upside down, because it deserves “veneration”.

Who is Saint Anthony of Padua

His first name was Fernando de Bulloés and he was born in Lisbon, Portugal in the year 1195. At 15, he entered the Augustinian convent of San Vicente, outside the city walls. Later he became friends with a group of Franciscans and became interested in their way of life, wanting to imitate Saint Francis.

At the age of 27, he became a Franciscan, taking the name Antonio in honor of Saint Anthony Abbot. His stay in Morocco was interrupted by illness, which is why he had to return to Europe. He was heading for Spain when his ship ran aground in Sicily (Italy), so he ended up joining the monasteries of Italy and France, where, “By his theological training and his oratory skills, he helped to thwart the heresies of his time”, specifies the Catholic magazine.

It is said that he possessed the qualities of a good preachersuch as “science, eloquence, a tremendous power to move, a great desire to save souls and a strong and pleasant voice”. In addition, his personality “Extraordinarily attractive”, helped him to summon masses, who went wherever he went to listen to him.

“It was enough that he starts to preach for the sinners to start to be moved and the indifferent ones to be excited”

From 1227 to 1230 he was provincial of Romagna, in southern Italy. Then he was sent to the university town of Padua, where he settled. There he obtained the best fruits of his sermons and gained great fame.

Among his contributions to religion, Saint Anthony wrote a Sermonary, guide for preaching with liturgical training. In addition, he directed his Order and a year after his death, on June 13, 1232, he was canonized by Pope Gregory IX and Pius XII proclaimed him Doctor of the Church (January 6, 1946) because of the frequent biblical quotations that he gave. he did. in his writings.

“The many miracles that happened through his intercession led him to be called ‘The Wonder Worker’ or simply ‘The Saint'”

Dressed with the Franciscan habit and with the Child Jesus in his arms, Saint Anthony is the patron saint of Portugal, of the city of Padua, where his relics rest.

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