O blessed Saint Anthony!
The grace of God has made thee a powerful advocate in all necessities, and the patron for the restoration of things lost or stolen. To thee I turn today with childlike love and heartfelt confidence. Oh, how many thousands hast thou miraculously aided in the recovery of lost goods! Thou wast the counselor of the erring, the comforter of the afflicted, the healer of the sick, the raiser of the dead, the deliverer of the captive, the refuge of the afflicted. To thee do I hasten, O blessed Saint Anthony! Help me in my present affliction. I recommend what I have lost to thy care, in the secure hope that thou wilt restore it to me if it be to the greater glory of God and to the spiritual benefit of my soul. Obtain also for me an active faith, peace of mind, disgust for the vain pleasures of the world, and an ardent desire for the imperishable goods of eternity. Amen.
(Feast Day of St. Anthony—June 13)
This “Prayer for the Restoration of Things Lost or Stolen” was taken from The Little Treasury of Saint Anthony: A Manual of Devotions in Honor of Saint Anthony (Paterson, NJ: St. Anthony’s Guild, 1928) 41-42.