Our Franciscan Charism

St Francis of Assisi and St Anthony of Padua

St Anthony's Catholic College owes much to the heritage of the Franciscan Friars. St Anthony himself was so impressed by the Franciscan way of life that he left his original order to join St Francis and the friars. 

"Where there is love and wisdom there is neither fear nor ignorance."(St Francis of Assisi)

Francis modeled his way of life on the message of Jesus in the Gospels. Love pervaded Jesus' teaching. The sign by which Jesus would be known among his followers would be that of love: "By this love you have for one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples." (John 13:35)

At St Anthony's Catholic College we aim to emulate the model of Francis and, of course, Jesus in all that we do. We believe that a school which claims the Franciscan tradition aims to create:

• An atmosphere that is fraternal
• A sense of solidarity and belonging among all persons at the school
• A community of self-disciplined persons
• A place of pardon and peace
• A community of service within the larger social community
• A human environment of beauty

St Anthony of Padua is one of the most famous disciples of St Francis of Assisi. He received in baptism the name of Fernando, and took the new name of Anthony when he joined the Franciscans.

St Anthony was born in the year 1195 in Lisbon, Portugal, where his father was a captain in the royal army. In 1219 his earnest wish to be sent to the missions in Africa was fulfilled. St Anthony had scarcely set foot on African soil when he was seized with a grievous illness. Even after recovering from it, he was so weak that, resigning himself to the will of God, he boarded a boat back to Portugal. Unexpectedly a storm came upon them and drove the ship to the east where it found refuge on the coast of Sicily. Anthony was obliged to preach at an ordination when the preacher failed to arrive, and all were astounded at his marvelous preaching.

St Anthony himself placed greater value on the salvation of souls than on learning. The number of those who came to hear him was sometimes so great that no church was large enough to accommodate them, so he had to preach in the open air. He was a gifted speaker; he attracted crowds everywhere he went, speaking in multiple tongues; the legend being that even the fishes loved to listen.

During his short life he was chosen by St Francis, the leader of the order, to show the way to the other Friars. He was renowned for being an intelligent man and a great speaker. He preached the truth positively, not ranting, always starting with the greeting “Peace be with you”.

St Anthony died on June 13, 1231, at the age of thirty-six. Soon the children in the streets of the city of Padua were crying: "The saint is dead, Anthony is dead."