Bl. Anthony of Hungary

Anthony was a pilgrim from Hungary who arrived in Rome for the Holy Year celebrations of 1350, seeking to gain the special jubilee indulgences promulgated by the pope. In Rome, he completely devoted himself to visiting the apostles’ tombs and other pious exercises. After becoming a Third Order Franciscan, Anthony proceeded to Assisi to gain an indulgence there. After leaving Assisi, he fell ill at Foligno, where he was admitted as a patient in the city’s Hospital of the Holy Spirit. Impressed by the devoted care he received, leading to his recovery, Anthony resolved to remain in Foligno and dedicate himself to the service of the hospital’s other patients. Thereafter he combined a spiritual life of deep prayer and demanding self-denial with a nursing apostolate in which he exhibited such exceptional charity and humility that he became a model to the other hospital attendants. Many troubled and sorely tempted souls resorted to Anthony to receive his sound counsel. His body now rests in a gold shrine over the high altar of the hospital’s chapel.