Honoring and Working with Saint Anthony of Padua

It’s not commonly known that the saints, as a class of spirits, exist across all cultures and religions, and that most of them are willing to work with anyone regardless of affiliation. There is a patron saint for everyone, and there are patron saints for witches. There are numerous other saints that are generous to all. Saint Anthony of Padua is one of them. While not himself known as a patron saint of witches, he’s certainly amenable to magical workings, most notably love spells. He is invoked in love spells as often as Aphrodite and has a reputation as “the marrying Saint.”

One of the interesting things about saints in general is that there is often a fluidity to them. Though we tend to enjoy our cut and dry labels, the spirits don’t necessarily acquiesce to that. The living person credited to the magical Saint Anthony was an aristocratic man with a sharp, mean tongue, though also an eloquent speaker fluent in several languages. The magical saint Anthony is incredibly kind and benevolent. Some believe that the spirit behind Saint Anthony is Hermes, or Adonis, or any number of trickster spirits. He is syncretized to the African Diaspora spirits of Ogun and Elegba.

Working with Saint Anthony of Padua

Saint Anthony is known as the fastest saint because he was canonized quite quickly after his death and is also very swift with granting requests on behalf of those who petition him. He is most well-known for his ability to locate lost items, and this renown stems from a legend that he used his spiritual abilities to locate items that were stolen from his monastery.

The common rhyme used to invoke Saint Anthony for finding lost items is: Tony, Tony, look around! Something’s lost and must be found! Admittedly, when I lose something, I just say “Saint Anthony please help me find (whatever I lost) and it tends to turn up immediately.

When we think about “lost items,” or “lost things,” the applications are numerous. St. Anthony can help us in any imaginable locating spells. Having trouble finding a compatible spouse? Petition Saint Anthony. Lost memories, lost power, lost independence, runaway family/friends, lost friendships, lost potency or virility in men, lost sleep (insomnia) or anything else that you can think of or dream of in the “lost” or “need help locating” variety are within his wheelhouse.

Saint Anthony of Padua Patron and Sacred Sites

While Saint Anthony will accept anyone’s petitions, he favors amputees (those who have lost limbs), orphans (those who have lost their parents), Native Americans, fishermen, those who work in the travel industry, those who work retail, women who can’t conceive, anyone born on the 13^th of any month or on a Tuesday, and the oppressed. He is depicted as a man in Franciscan brown robes holding a lily and a baby. His Feast Day (the day to honor him) is June 13^th, and the number sacred to him is number 13.

Saint Anthony is dedicated to multiple sacred sites. The Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua is where his body remains and is a very common pilgrimage site. There’s Saint Anthony’s Chapel in Pittsburgh, the shrine of Saint Anthony in Ellicott City in Maryland, Saint Anthony Cathedral in Instabul, and other sites as well.

When Saint Anthony grants your petition, it’s customary to leave an offering in gratitude. Often, when petitioning, people will offer a single lily with their request. When granted, they offer a lavish bouquet. He also accepts charitable donations given to reputable organizations on behalf of the poor or for animal welfare, efforts on behalf of the hungry, good works done for the oppressed. He’ll also accept alcohol (he seems to like whisky) and tobacco.

Petitioning Saint Anthony and Offerings

There are a couple of ways to petition Saint Anthony. You can use the rhyme mentioned above if you’ve lost a physical item. For other petitions, a sincere request from the heart is all it takes. If you need something to focus on, you can set out his image with a lit candle and a glass of water.

A spell in working with Saint Anthony for financial assistance is as follows:

Procure a taper candle and mark nine even lines down it. Dress it in olive oil and roll it in cinnamon, dried basil, and dried bay. Write the word “money” three times on a slip of petition paper, then turn the paper ninety degrees and write the name(s) of whoever makes money in the household on top of the word “money” three times. This should form a crosshatch pattern. Place the petition paper under the candle. For nine Tuesday evenings in a row, burn the candle. Only burn it to the line you marked until the 9^th day when it can burn down and out. While the candle is burning each Tuesday evening, ask Saint Anthony to grant you the financial aid you need.

Learn more about working with saints and finding your patron here.

About the Author

My name is Jessica Jascha and I’m a writer, herbalist, psychic- basically a village witch. If you enjoy my writing, please consider supporting me by purchasing one of my email tarot readings or joining the Moon Rituals Community.