ST. ANTHONY'S BREAD

The legend of St. Anthony’s Bread

(Catholic Herald Magazine)

Ever hear the phrase “St. Anthony’s Bread”? If you have, you probably associate it with a poor box found in the back of a church. But the origin of this Franciscan-run charity program actually has something to do with the staple food for which it was named.

    One legend dates back to the year 1263, when a child drowned near the Paduan Basilica of St. Anthony during its construction. The child’s mother prayed to the saint to bring her boy back to life. In return, she promised to give to the poor an amount of corn equal to the child’s weight. When the child was miraculously revived, the mother made good on her promise.

    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.”

    In the spirit of this charity, some parishes bless and distribute small loaves of bread on June 13, his feast day. There is even a recipe for an Italian bread that may be shaped into individual loaves for you to pass out at church, among friends and family or to the disadvantaged in your community.