St. Anthony Prayer: For Lost Things, Lost People & Impossible Causes
Lost your keys? Lost something precious? Lost your way? Catholics around the world turn to St. Anthony of Padua — the patron of lost things — and find what they were looking for. Here are the prayers that work.
The St. Anthony prayer for lost things — "St. Anthony, St. Anthony, please come around; something is lost and cannot be found" — asks the patron of lost items for help finding objects or spiritual direction. Anthony was a Franciscan preacher and Doctor of the Church.
St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) is one of the most beloved saints in the Catholic Church — and one of the most invoked. His feast day (June 13) draws millions of pilgrims to his basilica in Padua, Italy. His intercession is sought for lost objects, lost people, lost faith, and impossible causes.
The connection between St. Anthony and lost things comes from a story in his life: a novice who had borrowed Anthony's psalter (a book of psalms) without permission decided to leave the monastery and took the book with him. Anthony prayed for its return, and the novice was compelled to come back and return the book. From this story grew the tradition of asking St. Anthony to help find lost things.
The Traditional Prayer to St. Anthony
Traditional Prayer to St. Anthony
O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and charity for His creatures made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me [mention your request]. The answer to my prayer may require a miracle; even so, you are the Saint of Miracles. O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen.
The Simple Prayer for Lost Things
The most widely used prayer to St. Anthony for lost things is simple and direct:
"Tony, Tony, look around — something's lost and must be found!"
This popular rhyme is not an official Catholic prayer, but it reflects the warm, familiar relationship Catholics have with St. Anthony. A more formal version:
Dear St. Anthony, please come around — [name the lost item] is lost and cannot be found. Amen.
The Responsory of St. Anthony (Si Quaeris Miracula)
The most ancient and powerful prayer associated with St. Anthony is the Responsory — a Latin hymn composed shortly after his death that lists his miracles. It is traditionally prayed when seeking his intercession for any need.
Si Quaeris Miracula (If You Seek Miracles)
If you seek miracles, death, error, all calamities, the leprosy and demons fly, and health succeeds infirmities.
The sea obeys and fetters break; lost things are found; the young and old find help; and countless blessings freely flow from Anthony's thaumaturgic hand.
Let those who know say thanks to God. Let those who seek say: Praise to thee! O Anthony, all marvels are thy gift alone from God above.
V. Pray for us, blessed Anthony.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray: O God, let the votive commemoration of blessed Anthony, thy Confessor and Doctor, be a source of joy to thy Church, that she may always be fortified with spiritual assistance and deserve to possess eternal joy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Novena to St. Anthony
The Novena to St. Anthony is prayed for nine consecutive days for a specific intention. The traditional novena begins on June 4 and ends on June 12, the day before his feast day (June 13). It can also be prayed at any time.
Novena to St. Anthony (Daily Prayer)
Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.
O Holy St. Anthony, I come to you with faith and confidence. You are the patron of the poor and the helper of all who seek your aid with humility and trust. You have helped countless souls in need; help me now in my necessity.
I ask you to intercede for me before God for the following intention: [mention your request].
I know that God can grant my request if it is His holy will. I trust in your powerful intercession and in God's infinite mercy. May His will be done in all things.
St. Anthony, you who are so close to God, pray for me that I may receive what I ask, if it is for the good of my soul. Amen.
Say 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, 1 Glory Be.
Prayer to St. Anthony for a Lost Person
St. Anthony is also invoked for people who are "lost" — spiritually, emotionally, or physically. This prayer is for someone who has drifted from the faith or from their family:
Dear St. Anthony, you who found the lost psalter and brought back the wandering novice, I ask you to intercede for [name], who has lost their way. May God's grace reach them wherever they are. May they feel the love of God drawing them home. May the Holy Spirit open their heart to truth and healing. St. Anthony, patron of the lost, bring [name] back to God and to those who love them. Amen.
Who Was St. Anthony of Padua?
St. Anthony was born Fernando Martins de Bulhões in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1195. He joined the Augustinian Canons as a young man, then transferred to the Franciscans after being inspired by the martyrdom of five Franciscan friars in Morocco.
He became one of the greatest preachers of the Middle Ages — so powerful that fish reportedly came to the surface of the water to hear him preach (a story that gave rise to his patronage of fish and fishermen). He was a brilliant theologian, appointed by St. Francis of Assisi himself to teach theology to the Franciscan friars.
Anthony died in Padua, Italy, on June 13, 1231, at the age of 35. He was canonized just one year later — one of the fastest canonizations in Church history. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1946.
His feast day is June 13. He is the patron of lost articles, the poor, travelers, pregnant women, and many other causes.
The Bread of St. Anthony
A beautiful tradition associated with St. Anthony is the "Bread of St. Anthony" — the practice of donating bread (or money for bread) to the poor in thanksgiving for his intercession. When you ask St. Anthony for help, you promise to give bread to the poor if your prayer is answered. This tradition began in 1890 and continues today through the "St. Anthony's Bread" charitable programs run by Franciscan communities worldwide.
"If miracles you seek, Anthony's help entreat."
— From the Responsory of St. Anthony