Statue of Saint Anthony with child

Anthony could be said to have become one of the "quickest" saints in the history of the Catholic Church because he was canonizedby Pope Gregory IX on May 30, 1232, at Spoleto, Italy, less than one year after his death.

His fame spread through Portuguese evangelization, and he has been known as the most celebrated of the followers of Saint Francis of Assisi. He is the patron saint of his adopted home of Padua, as well as of his native Lisbon, not to mention many other places in Portugal and in the countries of the former Portuguese Empire. He is especially invoked for the recovery of lost items.

Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church byPope Pius XIIon January 16, 1946, he is sometimes called the "Evangelical Doctor" (Doctor Evangelicus).