EVERY YEAR in June (that special month so dear to Saint Anthony’s devotees) I am invited to dinner by Enzo and Daniela. Enzo and I are old friends. We were, in fact, once colleagues, but not in the ecclesiastical sense! You might be surprised to know, dear readers, that before embracing religious life I was a young bank clerk in Padua, and it was in that capacity that I used to meet Enzo every now and then while at work.
When I left the bank to enter the Franciscan seminary, I did not tell Enzo. He thought that I had been transferred to another branch.
You may well imagine Enzo’s surprise when, on a Sunday in June some 12 years later, he saw me celebrating Mass at the main altar of Saint Anthony’s Basilica! Despite the unexpected sight, he came up to me to receive communion.
After the Mass, Enzo came into the sacristy to introduce me to his wife Daniela and his daughter Clare, who was then about 16. He congratulated me on my life choice, and invited me for dinner.
A few days later, while I was being wined and dined at their home, the couple described to me how their special devotion to Saint Anthony had arisen. Here is their story.
Their daughter Clare had begun to show symptoms of stuttering from early childhood. It was not simply a minor speech defect, but a major impediment that seriously impaired her ability to socialise with her peers – so much so that she was doing badly at school. Clare’s classmates often made fun of her, especially when she was tested orally by her teachers.
Something had to be done, and her parents spared no effort and expense in search of an effective cure. The advice from various specialists, those highly trained professionals who for some reason, are always to be found far away from home, was ineffective and very expensive. The family went through a lot of dark moments.
During one of those difficult days, Daniela stumbled upon a worn book with creased, yellowish pages. It was a Life of Saint Anthony of Padua. She opened it offhandedly, and her eyes fell on one of the many accounts of the Saint’s miracles. The story moved Daniela to tears, and she found herself praying to the Miracle-Worker: Dear Saint Anthony, you who are so close to our Lord, please ask of Him a fragment of grace so that Clare may be able to speak like all the other children. From that day on, Enzo and Daniela prayed to the Saint devotedly every evening.
When the longed-for summer vacations finally arrived, the couple and their daughter went to Tuscany to spend their holiday with Daniela’s sister. Clare was very fond of the place and loved to play with her two cousins whom she had not seen since the previous summer. No longer subject to ridicule and denigration from her schoolmates, she played continuously and enthusiastically with her cousins.
One day, while being chased around the garden by Marco, one of the two cousins, she started screaming at the top of her voice, and in one breath: You can’t catch me. I’m faster than you are! The sentence came out in a laughing tone without any blocks or pauses.
Enzo was utterly amazed while Daniela could not hold back her tears. At that moment they knew their prayers had been answered. Beside himself with joy, Enzo embraced his daughter and exclaimed: Thank You Saint Anthony!
From that day on Clare has been speaking fluently, and now she cannot even remember ever having trouble communicating with people.
After that first surprise meeting almost 20 years ago, it has become a tradition for me to have dinner with Enzo’s family every June and over the years our friendship has deepened. Naturally we talk a lot about our dear Saint Anthony, powerful intercessor before God.
And, if anyone was wondering, Clare is now a successful lawyer!
Updated on October 06 2016