Last weekend you may have noticed a new addition in the Church, a statue of St. Anthony the Abbot, our patron saint. Statues of saints are often difficult to identify at first glance, identification is commonly determined through the attributes of the saint. We can identify this statue as St. Anthony the Abbot in the same manner. St. Anthony the Abbot is commonly depicted wearing a habit and carrying a book, staff, bell, Tau cross, prayer beads and a pig at his feet. Our new statue contains many of these items. Recognizing these attributes leads us to the next question: what do they mean in relation to a saint.

Perhaps the first thing that jumps out as you look at the statue is the pig at his feet. After selling all of his possessions, one of the ways that St. Anthony supported himself was as a swineherd. Tradition also tells us that St. Anthony had healed the pig. St. Anthony is the patron saint of domesticated animals and is celebrated in some places with a blessing of animals. The bell is used by swineherds to call the pigs in at the end of the day.

The staff is perhaps one of the oldest attributes of St. Anthony. The staff is a symbol of Egyptian monasticism as well as signifying the monks’ physical journey into the desert. In many images of St. Anthony this staff is topped with a “T” shape, also known as a Tau shape which represents the cross of Christ. A book is an attribute that is depicted in images of many saints and signify that they have read or written religious works. In relation to St. Anthony the book he holds signifies several things about our great saint. This book reminds us that St. Anthony serves as a “book” from which we can learn Christian virtues as well as reminding us of the prayers he has continually recited. This book calls to mind the ancient philosophers and recognizes St. Anthony as their Christian counterpart.

I am excited to have this statue present in our Church and hope it allows us all to be better connected to our patron saint and our Lord. St. Anthony the Abbot...pray for us.

 – Fr. Eric