Tony tony turn around somethings lost and must be found

My upbringing was an eclectic mix of semi-formal Catholicism (through my mother) and several Protestant denominations (via my father), all undergirded by a personal connection to the concept of magic and the supernatural–which is largely why I study what I do. The idea of magic, however, is not something that excludes the other practices and belief systems in my history, although the orthodoxy of either group would likely frown on the use of the word ‘magic’ to describe some of the esoteric praxes found in those traditions. My friend and folklorist Jack Montgomery once told me that he had a similar experience in doing research among a Baptist congregation–he could see the operative modes of magical thought, but if he used that term it was an instant turn-off to the group.

So in describing a practice from my family background–a folk Catholic verbal charm, which takes the form of an appeal to a Saint–it is important to remember that I use the term ‘magic’ here in the sense of supernatural or extraordinary forces which can be directed towards a specific outcome (in this case, finding lost objects). I’m sure even that loose definition leaves my analysis in some murky territory, but I certainly do not mean to imply that these sorts of charms are without merit or the signs of anything evil or ignorant, but rather are denotative of a beautiful tapestry of faith which pervades everyday life in remarkable ways. A wonderful collection of essays illustrating this sort of interwoven vernacular faith is Vernacular Religion in Everyday Life: Expressions of Belief, by Marion Bowman and Ulo Valk. They collect perspectives that demonstrate this principle of lived religion better than I can in a simple blog post.

With all that said, the St. Anthony charm:

Finding Lost Objects

St. Anthony Prayer (Catholic, Strega, Saint-based Hoodoo, Curanderismo)
This prayer is used when an item (or sometimes person) is lost and you need to find it in a hurry. The first version is slightly formal (though not nearly so formal as the prayer on his prayer card).  From the Lucky Mojo site:
St. Anthony, St. Anthony
Please come down
Something is lost
And can’t be found

My own family used a variant of this which was much more informal:
Tony, Tony,
Look around,
Help me find
What can’t be found

I always repeat the prayer at least once out loud and then under my breath as I search for the missing item.  I’d say I have about a 75-80% success rate with this one.  I do know that traditionally if you find your missing item, you should give to the poor in St. Anthony’s name (a practice called “St. Anthony’s Bread”).  This can be as simple as writing “Thank you St. Anthony!” on the edge of a dollar bill and giving it to a homeless person (or leaving it in a poorbox collection of some kind).