Guild of St. Anthony

The Guild of St Anthony of Padua is a pious catholic prayer group that promotes the works and devotion of St. Anthony of Padua

Aims and Objectives  To promote and spread the devotion of St. Anthony of Padua in our parish.  To encourage exemplary and active Christian life.  To contribute to the works of charity carried out in St Anthony’s name.  To support the catholic church in her evangelization.

HISTORY OF THE GUILD

Devotion to St. Anthony started immediately after his death on June 13, 1231. His body took on a celestial beauty immediately after his death and when the news became known, a great multitude of children began to shout “our Father St. Anthony is dead”.

Thousands came to view the body of Anthony and attend his burial. His grave at once became a place of extraordinary devotion and numerous miracles. The following year, his friend, Pope Gregory IX, moved by the many miracles attributed to him during his life and that occurred at his tomb, declared him a saint. In 1946, Pope Pius XII officially declared St. Anthony a doctor of the church.

Centuries later, in 1888, a woman named Louise Bouffier managed a small bakery store in the seaside village of Toulon, France. One morning, she couldn’t open the shop’s door with her key. Neither could a locksmith, who advised her that he’d have to break the door open. While he went to get his tools, Louise prayed to St. Anthony that she would give some of her bakery’s bread to the poor if the door could be opened without force. When the locksmith returned, he tried the lock again and was easily able to let Louise in. True to her word, the baker made sure that the poor of Toulon received their due. It wasn’t long before Louise’s friends began to follow her example of promising a gift of bread or alms to the poor in return for prayers answered by St. Anthony. In the 1890s, they formalized this practice by founding a charity called “St. Anthony’s Bread.”

St. Anthony is popularly known as the finder of lost things.

Important Feasts of St Anthony  The blessed tongue of St Anthony holds on February 15  Feast of St. Anthony holds on June 13  Birthday of St. Anthony holds on August 15

Our greeting is ANTHO… PADUA. We hold our prayer meetings every Tuesday by 5pm in front of St. Anthony grotto.

Meet our Executives  Ifenyinwa Collins -- President  Chidinma Ezeh -- Vice President  Kingsley Iwuji -- Secretary  Bianca Okechukwu -- Asst. Secretary  Chinenye Nwakile -- Financial Secretary  Agatha Ndubuisi -- Treasurer  Ebere Patrick -- Welfare Officer  Adanma Eze -- Asst. Welfare Officer  Steven Chinedu Anyanwu -- PRO