St. Anthony grants mother's unusual request.
A story shared in honor of the Feast of St. Anthony
Thank you St. Anthony for all you do for my family. That being said, I personally could list numerous stories in which St. Anthony has helped me but I'd rather share my mother's story.
My mother, Rose, was devoted to St. Anthony. She talked to him daily filling him in on her day, her fears and giving thanks for prayers answered.
As she got older, my mother used to worry about a lot of things, especially her mortality. She used to express her fear about how she would die, saying "when I die I just want to go to sleep and never wake up." She also worried about someday potentially losing her faculties and that terrified her. She had one request to her children. She asked "please don’t let anyone see me without my eyebrows" (my mother was a redhead with barely noticeable eyebrows and she literally drew them on daily. Being somewhat vain like most women, she worried that she wouldn’t look like herself if anyone saw her that way. Therefore we agreed to take care of this when the time came).
Then one day my mother had to be rushed to the hospital due to some breathing issues. At that time my mother was completely off kilter. She was forgetful and her behavior was erratic and combative. She was definitely not herself. It became so bad that my siblings and I were discussing whether she needed to be placed in a facility which we knew would terrify her. But St. Anthony wasn’t going to let that happen. Within a few days she was back to her regular self and was discharged from the hospital albeit with her preexisting health issues of emphysema.
On October 6, 2002, my mother, who continued to be of sound mind said goodnight to my sister. She went to the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea and for some reason decided to draw on her eyebrows. She got back on the sofa where she normally liked to sleep and drifted off – and NEVER awoke.
When I arrived at my mother’s home that day, my sister was hysterical. I couldn’t help but say “What are you crying about? Mommy died in her own house, with all her faculties, and with her eyebrows on – just like she asked St. Anthony.” So I am grateful that St. Anthony heard my mother’s plea and granted her request.
Rosanne
We’d love to hear your St. Anthony story too. Use our Contact Page or Email: shrine@franciscan.org or Call Colleen Cushard at: 513-721-4700. Share your prayers with us and our online community at our Prayer Page. You can donate to St. Anthony Bread or any of our ministries at our Donation Page.
Posted in: Prayer, Saint Anthony
