Saint Anthony prayer for what is lost and what matters
Asking the wonder-worker of Padua to help find lost things, lost peace, and lost people
Morning Prayer editorial team · Updated: November 2026
Saint Anthony of Padua is famous for finding lost keys, but the Franciscan friar from Lisbon was also a brilliant preacher, a defender of the poor, and a man who held the Child Jesus in his arms. This saint anthony prayer asks his help not only for lost things but for lost people, lost peace, and lost faith.
Let us pray
Saint Anthony, wonder-worker of Padua, the whole world knows to call on you when something is missing. Today I come to you with more than a lost object. I come with the things that are harder to find.
Help me find my peace, which I misplace a dozen times a day in worry and hurry. Help me find my patience with the people closest to me. Help me find my way, when the road ahead is unclear and every option looks wrong. Help me find the words to say to someone I have hurt, and the courage to say them.
Pray for those who are lost themselves: the family member who has wandered from the faith, the friend caught in addiction, the young person who does not know who they are. You preached so powerfully that even the fish were said to listen; ask the Lord to speak to their hearts in a way they cannot ignore.
You held the Child Jesus in your arms. Teach me to hold Him too, in the Eucharist, in the poor, in the people I am tempted to overlook. You gave bread to the hungry; open my hands.
And yes, Saint Anthony, if it is not too small a thing, help me find what I have lost today: (name it). You have never minded small requests. Pray for me, that nothing truly important, not my faith, not my hope, not my love, may ever be lost.
Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Saint Anthony, restore to us what is lost and lead us to what is eternal. Amen.
Blessing
May Saint Anthony help you find what you have lost, and may the Lord keep you from ever losing what matters most.
How to pray this prayer
- Find a quiet moment and breathe slowly.
- Read the prayer aloud or in your heart.
- Add your own intention before the Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Saint Anthony the patron of lost things?
Tradition says a novice ran off with Anthony's treasured book of psalms; Anthony prayed, and the thief was moved to return it. From that story grew the custom of asking his help for anything lost, from keys to faith.
When is the feast of Saint Anthony?
June 13, the day he died in 1231 at the age of thirty-five. He was canonized less than a year later, one of the fastest canonizations in history, and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1946.
What is the Tuesday devotion to Saint Anthony?
Saint Anthony was buried on a Tuesday, and many miracles were reported that day, so Tuesdays became his special day. Some people make the Thirteen Tuesdays devotion, praying to him on thirteen consecutive Tuesdays, and give alms to the poor, called Saint Anthony's Bread, in thanksgiving.
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View all →St Anthony Prayer for Lost Things and Lost People
The beloved finder of what is missing, from keys to wandering hearts
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