What is the Prayer to St Anthony for Lost Things?

A woman in my parish once came to me after Liturgy, a little embarrassed, holding her phone. She had typed a rhyme into a search bar the night before, the one that goes "please come around, something is lost and cannot be found," because her wedding ring had slipped off somewhere in her apartment and she was close to tears. She found the rhyme. She also found, scrolling further, that it was addressed to a Roman Catholic saint, and she wasn't sure what to do with that as a new Orthodox catechumen. Could she say it anyway? Was it wrong? Would God mind?

I have found, in my years of serving as an Orthodox priest, that people rarely come to me about this topic because they want a theology lecture on sainthood. They come because they are anxious, a little embarrassed to admit how much a missing object has rattled them, and they simply want help, and they want to know they are praying correctly. That is a good instinct. What I wish to share with you here is both the honest history behind the familiar rhyme and what our own Orthodox tradition offers instead, which I think is quieter, but in its own way sturdier.

✏️ By Father Victor Meshko | 📅 Updated: October 2026 | ⏱️ 18 min read

Quick Answer: The prayer to St. Anthony for lost things, the familiar rhyme asking him to "come around" and help find what is missing, is a Roman Catholic devotion tied to St. Anthony of Padua, and it is not an official prayer of the Eastern Orthodox Church, though Orthodox Christians may pray directly to God or ask the intercession of saints recognized in Orthodox tradition.

In This Article:

• Who was St. Anthony and why is he invoked for lost things?
• What is the traditional rhyme for finding lost things attributed to St. Anthony?
• Does the Orthodox Church recognize St. Anthony of Padua or this devotion?
• How does Orthodox Christianity approach praying for lost or stolen items?
• Which Orthodox saints are traditionally asked to help find lost things?
• What is an Orthodox prayer to say when something is lost or stolen?
• How should an Orthodox Christian respond to popular prayers like the St. Anthony rhyme?
• Father Victor's Perspective
• Common Misconceptions About the St. Anthony Prayer for Lost Things

TL;DR: Key Takeaways

• The St. Anthony rhyme belongs to Catholic folk devotion, not to Orthodox liturgical prayer.
• Orthodox Christians pray to God directly and may ask saints to intercede, not to act as independent wonder-workers.
• A short, sincere prayer asking for wisdom and peace while you search is more faithful than any memorized formula.
• A lost object often uncovers something deeper: whether we turn to God in trust or to superstition in panic.

Who was St. Anthony and why is he invoked for lost things?

St. Anthony of Padua was a thirteenth-century Franciscan friar, born Fernando Martins in Lisbon, who became one of the most beloved preachers in the Roman Catholic world. His association with lost things traces back to a story about a stolen psalter, a book of psalms he used for teaching, which was reportedly returned to him after prayer. That story grew, over centuries of Catholic devotional life, into his broad patronage over anything misplaced or missing.

I knew the Catholic tradition quite well before my own path led me to Orthodoxy, and I want to be clear that there is nothing contemptible in this devotion. Franciscan spirituality has a real tenderness to it, a confidence that heaven cares about small human troubles. But St. Anthony of Padua lived and died within the Western Church centuries after the schism between East and West, and he was never received into the Orthodox calendar of saints. That is simply a fact of ecclesiastical history, not a judgment on his sanctity within his own tradition.

What is the traditional rhyme for finding lost things attributed to St. Anthony?

The verse most people know runs something like, "St. Anthony, St. Anthony, please come around; something is lost and cannot be found." It circulates widely in popular devotional collections, parish bulletins, and now across the internet, often repeated two or three times as though repetition itself carries weight.

What almost nobody mentions, and what I think matters a great deal, is that this rhyme is not an ancient prayer of the undivided Church, nor even an official text approved by Rome. It is nineteenth and twentieth-century folk devotion, the kind of thing grandmothers taught grandchildren, distinct from the Catholic Church's own formal liturgical prayers to St. Anthony, such as the responsory "Si Quaeris Miracula." The viral rhyme everyone quotes online was never written by any council or pope. Knowing that changes how you should receive it: not as a magic formula with guaranteed results, but as one small thread in a much larger fabric of Catholic popular piety that also emphasizes patience, almsgiving, and quiet trust rather than instant retrieval.

According to Catholic devotional sources, including materials published by the Arciconfraternita di Sant'Antonio di Padova and by Saint-Catholique.fr, St. Anthony of Padua is consistently identified as the saint of lost objects within that tradition, which confirms how firmly this devotion belongs to Catholic rather than universal Christian practice.

Does the Orthodox Church recognize St. Anthony of Padua or this devotion?

No. St. Anthony of Padua does not appear in the standard Orthodox calendar of saints, and the Orthodox Church has no universal liturgical service dedicated to him. The rhyme asking him to "come around" is not part of any Orthodox prayer book I have ever used or seen in over a decade of pastoral ministry.

This is not a matter of dismissing another tradition. A catechumen once brought me exactly this question after losing her house keys and finding the familiar rhyme online. She asked, gently and honestly, whether using it would be wrong as she prepared to become Orthodox. I told her what I tell you now: there is no shame in having found that prayer meaningful before, but as an Orthodox Christian she could pray directly to Christ, ask for peace and clear memory, and if she wished, ask her guardian angel or an Orthodox saint to intercede for her. She did not need to mock what she once knew. She simply needed to pray in a way consistent with the faith she was entering.

As St. John of Damascus writes in On the Divine Images, Book I, Christians worship the Creator, not matter itself, and this distinction runs underneath the whole question. Orthodox veneration of saints and icons, affirmed at the Seventh Ecumenical Council, always honors the grace of God working in a person or image. It never treats a saint, a relic, or a rhyme as an independent source of power. Read more: A Very Powerful Prayer for Difficult Situations.

How does Orthodox Christianity approach praying for lost or stolen items?

Orthodox Christians bring ordinary troubles before God through brief, attentive prayer, the sign of the cross, and practical searching, trusting that God cares about small matters without demanding a specific formula or guaranteed outcome. We ask for wisdom and peace, not a transaction.

In parish life, I have often noticed that when someone calms down before God, they not only search more clearly, they also begin to understand what Orthodox prayer actually is: not magic, but communion, trust, and obedience. A parishioner once lost a wallet with her identification, bank cards, and cash inside, and she began repeating prayers in a frightened, almost superstitious rhythm, as though the right number of repetitions would force the wallet back into her hands. I asked her to slow down. Make the sign of the cross. Say one prayer attentively. Then freeze the bank cards, retrace her steps, and ask God for wisdom rather than demanding an instant result. She did not find the wallet that day. But she told me afterward that something had shifted, a movement from frightened urgency to something closer to sober trust.

Scripture grounds this approach clearly. Christ himself taught us to pray first for God's will and our daily bread, not a list of recovered possessions, in the Lord's Prayer: “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10, KJV). He also taught plainly against anxious grasping: “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.” (Matthew 6:31-32, KJV). And the Apostle James tells us, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5, KJV), which is exactly the kind of prayer that helps when you are trying to remember where you set something down.

If the item was stolen rather than misplaced, the pastoral question becomes sharper. One man in my parish suspected his phone had been taken and wanted, in his words, a prayer that would "make the thief suffer until it's returned." I understood the anger. But I had to be honest with him: Orthodox prayer may ask for justice, truth, and protection, even for the exposure of a theft, but it cannot become a prayer of vengeance. A proper prayer also asks for the repentance of the one who took it, and for the protection of our own heart from hatred. That is a harder prayer to pray sincerely, but it is the one our faith actually asks of us.

The Apostle Paul connects prayer, thanksgiving, and peace in a way I find genuinely comforting in these moments: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7, KJV). And Peter reminds us simply to cast “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7, KJV).

How Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Christians Approach Prayer for Lost Things

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Which Orthodox saints are traditionally asked to help find lost things?

There is no single, universally recognized Orthodox equivalent to St. Anthony of Padua. Orthodox Christians more often turn to their personal patron saint, to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, to St. John the Warrior in some Slavic traditions, or to St. Phanourios in Greek popular devotion, though these customs vary by region and are not binding doctrine.

Approximately 230 million people identify as Orthodox Christian worldwide, and according to the Pew Research Center (2017), roughly 86 percent of them live in Europe, with about 39 percent in Russia alone. I mention this because it explains why devotional habits differ so much from parish to parish. A Greek grandmother and a Russian grandmother may both have a favorite saint for small troubles, and neither is wrong, but neither tradition is universal either. The guardian angel, whom every Orthodox Christian is taught to invoke for protection and guidance, and the Mother of God, whose intercession before her Son we constantly seek, remain the two figures asked across virtually every Orthodox culture, alongside one's own patron saint.

No reliable study I am aware of measures how many Orthodox Christians actually use any particular prayer for lost objects, so I want to be honest that what follows is pastoral guidance drawn from parish experience and Scripture, not a statistic.

What is an Orthodox prayer to say when something is lost or stolen?

The simplest and safest Orthodox prayer is the Jesus Prayer itself: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me," said slowly and attentively rather than as a rushed incantation. Beyond that, a believer may add a short petition naming the specific need.

I sometimes offer parishioners something like this, and I want to be clear it is a pastoral suggestion, not an official text from a service book: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me. You know what I have lost and where it is. Grant me wisdom, peace, and diligence as I search. If it is beneficial, help me find it; if not, give me grace to accept Your will and keep my heart free from anxiety. Through the prayers of Your saints, have mercy on me. Amen." Learn more: A Prayer for Friend: Simple Words That Connect.

For something stolen, the prayer needs an added dimension, one that guards the heart as much as it seeks the item: "Lord, protect me from anger and guide me to act truthfully and wisely. If this can be returned, open the way for its return. Grant repentance and mercy to whoever has taken what is not theirs. Preserve my heart in peace. Amen." If you are a catechumen, or simply unsure whether a particular saint or custom fits your situation, it is always wise to ask your priest before adopting a new devotional habit.

How should an Orthodox Christian respond to popular prayers like the St. Anthony rhyme?

With charity, not mockery. You can simply say that the rhyme belongs to Catholic devotion to St. Anthony of Padua, explain that Orthodoxy prays directly to God and asks Orthodox saints to intercede, and leave it there without condemning anyone who finds comfort in it.

A Protestant friend of mine, somewhat skeptical of saints altogether, once asked me why this ritual seems to "work" for so many Catholics who use it. I told him what my training in psychology has taught me alongside my theology: the act of pausing, naming the problem aloud, and asking for help, whether from God directly or through a saint's intercession, interrupts the spiral of panic that usually makes searching worse. That is not proof of magic. It is simply how a calmer mind functions. The deeper Orthodox point, though, is that the calm itself should come from genuine trust in God's providence, not from the mechanics of repeating a verse a certain number of times.

Father Victor's Perspective

What most online articles about this topic miss is that in real pastoral life, the deeper issue is rarely the missing object itself. The lost passport, phone, or wedding ring becomes a small test of the heart. Will the person spiral into accusation, panic, and superstition, or will they learn to unite prayer, practical responsibility, and inner sobriety? I have come to believe, drawing on both my theological formation and my studies in psychology, that a lost object often reveals something deeper than forgetfulness. It reveals the heart's old habit of seeking control rather than communion with God.

This connects to something I encountered studying St. Gregory Sinaites and the hesychast tradition, the fourteenth-century revival of attentive, watchful prayer on Mount Athos. Gregory did not invent a new technique so much as recover something nearly forgotten: that the mind, when it becomes still, sees clearly, while an agitated mind sees almost nothing at all. His biographer records that by 1300 only three hermits on the entire Holy Mountain still remembered the practice of attentive inner prayer, yet within a single generation it had become common knowledge among the monks again. I think of that whenever someone tells me they prayed and "still feel more panicked instead of peaceful." Prayer is not a verbal mechanism for forcing an outcome. It restores clarity precisely because it interrupts panic and reorders a fragmented mind, not because it functions like a spell.

So the right prayer for lost things, from an Orthodox perspective, is not primarily "help me get the object back." It is closer to "grant me wisdom, peace, truthfulness, and freedom from resentment while I search." That is a harder prayer, and a more honest one. It does not promise the ring will turn up under the couch cushion. It promises something more durable: a heart that remains whole whether the object is found or not.

Common Misconceptions About the St. Anthony Prayer for Lost Things

"St. Anthony of Padua is an Orthodox saint, so the familiar lost-object prayer is also Orthodox." He belongs to Roman Catholic tradition, and the popular rhyme is not an official Orthodox prayer. This misunderstanding exists mostly because online devotional content rarely identifies denominational background, so customs circulate freely without context. The kind correction is simple: that prayer is meaningful in Catholic devotion, but in Orthodoxy we usually pray directly to God and ask Orthodox saints to intercede.

"If a saint is asked for help, the saint personally controls the object and returns it." In Orthodoxy, saints intercede before God; they are not independent sources of supernatural power. Popular speech often shortens intercession into language that sounds transactional, almost magical, but Orthodox Christians ask saints to pray with us and for us, while all help truly comes from God. See also: A Prayer for Strength: Finding True Grace.

"If I don't use a special formula, my prayer about a lost item is too small for God." Folk religion spreads short rhymes because they are memorable, and people can start trusting the wording more than the living God. You do not need a perfect phrase. A brief, humble prayer to Christ is already a real prayer.

"If the object isn't found, the prayer didn't work and God didn't listen." Prayer is not a contract. God may grant recovery, or He may grant peace, patience, or detachment instead. The prayer was not wasted. In Orthodoxy, the first fruit of prayer is not always recovery of the object, but the right ordering of the soul.

"If something was stolen, the proper prayer asks for punishment or revenge." Loss naturally provokes anger, and it is easy to confuse a righteous concern for justice with personal vengeance. You may ask God to expose the truth and protect you, but Christian prayer should never train the heart toward hatred.

"Lighting a candle or repeating a short prayer guarantees success." These practices support reverent prayer, but they are not magical instruments, since worship belongs to God alone. The candle and the icon help us pray; they do not replace God or force an outcome.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the saint known for finding lost things?

In Roman Catholic tradition, St. Anthony of Padua is widely known as the patron of lost things, a connection traced to a story about a stolen psalter that was reportedly returned to him after prayer. The Orthodox Church has no single universal equivalent; Orthodox Christians more often turn to their patron saint, St. Nicholas, or their guardian angel, while praying primarily to God Himself.

What is the proper way to pray to St. Anthony?

Within Catholic devotion, prayer to St. Anthony is generally offered with reverence toward God through his intercession, often paired with the Church's own formal prayers rather than only the popular folk rhyme. From an Orthodox perspective, I would gently redirect the question: pray directly and attentively to Christ, asking for wisdom and peace, and if you wish, ask an Orthodox saint or your guardian angel to intercede alongside you.

Who was Saint Anthony?

St. Anthony of Padua was a thirteenth-century Franciscan friar, born in Lisbon, known for his preaching and later associated with miracles, including the recovery of a stolen book. He is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church but is not part of the Eastern Orthodox calendar of saints.

What is the saying to help find lost things?

The best-known saying is the rhyme, "St. Anthony, St. Anthony, please come around; something is lost and cannot be found," as reflected in popular devotional prayer collections. It is a piece of folk piety rather than an official Church text, Catholic or Orthodox, and an Orthodox Christian would instead offer a simple, direct prayer to God asking for wisdom and calm while searching.

About the Author

Father Victor Meshko is an Orthodox priest of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad serving at the Cathedral of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in Munich. Ordained since 2013, he holds multiple theology degrees, including a Diplom and Doctorate in Theology from LMU Munich's Institute for Orthodox Theology, and has also completed a Master in Psychology, allowing him to unite scholarly Orthodox theology with attentive pastoral care. He is the published author of Erzbischof Filaret (Gumilevskij) von Černigov und Nežin and serves as Theological Advisor for Find to God.

Researched and written by Father Victor Meshko. AI tools were used during the research process.