100 Years and Beyond!

On January 1, 1898, a local church bulletin, printed in Padua, Italy, saw the light of day for the first time. Given the place of its conception and its, it was christened ‘The Messenger of Saint Anthony of Padua’. It was in a 10-inch by 7-inch format, with 24 pages. On the cover, there was an image of Saint Anthony, resting his feet on a cloud as he discoursed with the Baby Jesus. At the bottom of the page were two crossed lilies and the coat-of-arms of the Paduan Province of Conventual Friars Minor. Under the direction of the editor, Fr. Joseph Brunera, the layout was a sober affair, with occasional black-and-white photographs.

Primary objectives

The periodical had been conceived as one of the most important projects of the seven hundredth anniversary of Saint Anthony’s birth which had been celebrated three years earlier. In that year, wrote the religious correspondent who presented the very first issue of the magazine, we felt, more than ever, the need for a periodical magazine which could touch every heart with its message of love and comfort, and awaken the many lukewarm souls in our Church with the echo of the Saint’s authoritative preaching.

The aims of the Messenger were painstakingly laid out in the first editorial:

• to be the ‘mouthpiece’ of Saint Anthony, both in the Basilica and elsewhere, to spread the Saint’s powerful message manifested in the continuing miracles in favour of those who pray for his intercession, to be a faithful and dedicated herald, committed to carrying Saint Anthony’s voice wherever possible.
• to encourage generosity and understanding for the poor through well-known charitable projects such as ‘Saint Anthony’s bread’.
• to inform others about the Basilica and its history, and to spread appreciation for the many splendid works of art which render it so precious, and above all, to communicate the intense spiritual life which animates this unique shrine.
• to defend the interests of the Church which Anthony loved so well. The editors wish to tell of its triumphs, and the progress made by those charitable works carried out in its name, especially by the Franciscan Order, which the Pope has called his ‘hope for the future’.

A lot of space was allocated to letters from readers who wished to ask for advice on personal and spiritual problems, or to tell of favours they had received through the intercession of Saint Anthony. They were simple letters, often in local dialects which had to be translated by the editors. They do, however, convey a good idea of what life was like at the time: people’s difficulties, social problems of the period, diseases, customs, religious and civil traditions...

In spite of many setbacks, not least of which was the inefficiency of the postal service, the bulletin gained a growing number of subscribers. In 1907, in the 10th year of the magazine, the director-general noted that the number had tripled since the end of the first year, enabling the bulletin to grow to 32 pages.

The Great War

Shortly afterwards, the First World War broke out. The drama of the situation can be witnessed through the letters sent by some of the Basilica’s friars who served as military chaplains and, above all, from the many readers’ letters commending their loved ones who were serving in the army to Saint Anthony’s protection. Many letters also arrived from those who wished to give thanks for Saint Anthony’s protection through mortal danger.

On 30 December 1917, the Basilica narrowly escaped tragedy. For six long hours, Austrian bombers shelled the city of Padua. One shell only just missed the facade of Saint Anthony’s shrine, exploding in the sacristy and fortunately causing only mild damage. One year later, peace returned to Europe; the armistice between the Allies and Austria-Hungary was signed at the Villa Giusti, near Padua, on Nov. 3, 1918. The armistice with Germany was signed shortly afterwards.

On 31 October, 1922, on a tidal wave of popular support, the Fascists under Mussolini seized power in Italy. However, during the 20 years of Fascism, Saint Anthony’s bulletin never allowed itself to be intimidated by the regime, and continued to be the mouthpiece of the Saint and the Basilica, and to promote its works in favour of the poor. Notwithstanding its limited content, in 1930 it reached a level of 200,000 subscribers. 1931, the seven hundredth anniversary of the death of Saint Anthony, saw a further increase in the number of subscribers.

The Second World War

In 1939, the printworks of the Messenger acquired technology which allowed the magazine to be printed in two colours. But by 1940, the bulletin was already in evident difficulty: Italy had entered World War II. The number of pages diminished progressively in order to use minimal resources, and by 1942, there were only 8 pages. In successive years, while the war lasted, it became very difficult to produce the magazine: only five issues appeared in 1944, and just four in 1945.

When the war ended, the Messenger took a little time to get into its stride once again: just 6 issues appeared in 1946 and 1947. However, the number of members of Saint Anthony’s family’ was still considerable - in 1942, the editor of the bulletin had placed the figure at around 700,000.

Productive efforts were redoubled at the end of the 1950s, when the friars decided to try to make wide ranging improvements in the quality of their bulletin, fully aware of its huge potential. The vast possibilities for evangelisation across the globe were beginning to become apparent.

Between 1953 and 1958, various editions of the Messenger began to appear, in English, French, German, Spanish... They were not, however, translations of the Italian edition; each of them had its own editorial board and focused on the situation and cultural inclination prevalent in their countries of destination.

New technology

The number of pages in the magazines increased progressively, colour was used and some prestigious names from the world of journalism were employed. The technical bases were there to transform what was once a parish bulletin into a magazine of international standing.

In 1973, a new printing works, endowed with the latest technology was opened, leading to vast improvements in the graphic production of the magazine. The 1980s saw the arrival of computers into the typography and the editorial offices, giving renewed vigour to the magazine’s development. The advent of new technology, which led to the restructuring of the entire editorial organisation, was needed in order to meet the new requirements of the workplace.

Today, after further restructuring of the editorial and graphic sections, the Messenger of Saint Anthony is no longer an obscure local bulletin; it has acquired an important position among the world’s Catholic periodicals, and in the world of publishing in general, and is admired by colleagues from the religious and secular press alike.

With 1,500,000 copies and nine editions produced each month, the Messenger of Saint Anthony is looking to the next millennium with the optimism of an organ which is well aware of its position at the forefront of a great mission, that of carrying forward the work of our inspiration, Saint Anthony of Padua.

Dida: 1. Before the arrival of the computer, typesetting was a rather painstaking and time-consuming process

2. In modern times, the Messenger of Saint Anthony employs the most advanced technology, requiring technical staff of the highest quality

3. Some of the friars and editorial staff photographed outside the first head-office of the Messenger