Bishop John Noonan | Diocese of Orland website

To commemorate the feast day of St. Anthony of Padua, Mari Da Gama, her daughter Melissa, and son-in-law Hans Michel brought two baskets of bread to be blessed at St. James Cathedral on June 13 in Orlando. This practice, a family tradition since Mari's youth in Venezuela and previously followed in Miami, aims to honor the saint's intercession.

Melissa expressed gratitude by stating, “We thank St. Anthony of Padua for his intercession and especially God for our daily bread.” The family distributed prayer cards to spread devotion to St. Anthony.

The tradition known as “St. Anthony’s Bread” is linked to a legend from 1263 when a mother promised to give corn equal to her child's weight to the poor if he was revived after drowning near the Paduan Basilica of St. Anthony. Her prayers were answered, and she fulfilled her vow.

In 1888, Louise Bouffier experienced a similar miracle when she managed to open her bakery door after praying to St. Anthony and subsequently pledged to feed Toulon's poor.

St. Anthony is recognized as the patron saint of several groups including the poor and travelers. Born in Lisbon in 1195, he joined the Order of St. Augustine at age 15 before becoming a Franciscan inspired by martyrs' sacrifices. Renowned for his preaching and care for the needy, he was canonized by Pope Gregory IX due to numerous miracles associated with him during his life and posthumously at his tomb. In 1946, Pope Pius XII declared him a doctor of the church.