St. Anthony of Padua, of the Order of St. Francis, was called the “Hammer of Heretics.” For nine years he labored in France , Italy, and Sicily. Men heard his voice, saw his miracles, and their hearts were turned to God. Nothing is lacking to the glory of St. Anthony; he had a great desire for martyrdom, and on that account he entered the Franciscan Order and set sale for Mauretania. He was an apostle and the fame of his fervent preaching filled Italy and Rome, where he proclaimed the Word of God in 1327. Both during his lifetime and after his death in 1331, St. Anthony became renowned as a worker of miracles, and there are few cities which do not possess a church or an altar dedicated to him.
(Source: The New Roman Missal by Father Lasance)

The children went to the Cova da Iria on June 13 as they had promised Our Lady, even though it meant missing all of the festivities for the Feast of St. Anthony, who was Patron Saint of their parish and of Portugal. When they arrived at the Cova that morning there were already several dozen people gathered there, and by noon the number had risen to about fifty. One witness observed that the branches of the tree gave way on all sides