St. Anthony was born Fernando Martins de Bulhões in 1195 to Dona Teresa Tavera and Martinho de Bulhões in Lisbon, Portugal.  He was raised in the church and attended the Cathedral’s school with his sister Maria until he was 15.

In 1210 he entered the Augustinian Canons Regular, a religious order in Lisbon, and soon traveled to Coimbria to further his study of scriptures and Latin.  Fernando was ordained a priest there at the Abbey of Santa Cruz.  

After learning of the martyrdom of five Franciscans serving as missionaries in Morocco in 1220, Fernando was inspired to join the Franciscan order.  Once admitted into the order, he joined St. Anthony's Hermitage in Olivais and changed his name to António.

Antonio hoped to serve as a missionary to convert Muslims.  On his way to Morocco he became gravely ill and had to return home.  His ship was forced to dock in Sicily because of a storm and, unable to fully regain his health, Antonio settled in Forli, Italy.

There, Antonio devoted time to prayer and study in solitude until one day a mixup on the occasion of an ordination left the friars without a homilist.  Antonio was called upon to deliver the sermon and amazed the Franciscan and Domincan friars in attendance.  

Soon after, in 1224, the provincial superior sent Antonio to Bologna, where the order's founder, Francis of Assisi, resided. Francis, recognizing Antonio's expertise of scripture and gift for teaching, asked him to teach young members in the order who sought to be ordained.  

After teaching in Bologna for a time, his talent for preaching and expert knowledge of the scriptures took him on preaching tours through Italy and southern France.  Antonio drew huge crowds for his sermons as through preaching he could connect with common people.  He showed great and abiding love for the poor and the common wherever he went.  

In 1226 Antonio was appointed provincial superior of Northern Italy, and he chose to settle in Padua.  There he served as envoy from the general chapter to Pope Gregory IX, who hailed his preaching as a "jewel case of the Bible," described Antonio as Doctor Arca testamenti, (Ark of the Testament), and commissioned him to produce a collection of sermons, Sermones in Festivitates.

In 1231, Antonio became fell ill and was sent to heal at a woodland retreat.  Wanting to die in his home, he asked to be taken back to Padua.  He died on June 13, 1231 at the age of 35, en route to Padua, at the Poor Clare Monastery in Arcella.   

Anotonio was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on May 30, 1232, less than a year after his death.  On January 16, 1946, Pope Pius XII declared him a Doctor of the Church.

St. Anthony's help is often invoked for finding lost or stolen items because when he was teaching young friars in Bologna, a novice who left the order stole Antonio's invaluable book of psalms that contained all of his notes.  St. Anthony prayed for its return, and not only did the novice return the book, he also returned to the order.  The book is in the Franciscan Friary in Bologna.  

Most importantly, St. Anthony found lost souls, and his beautiful preaching and teaching turned their hearts to the Lord.