July 24th
Blessed Anthony (della Torre) was born in Milan, Italy in 1427, where he studied medicine at the University of Pavia, and was, for many years, a surgeon in that city. In spite of the opposition of his family, Anthony joined the Augustinian Order in Lombardy. He later transferred to the Monastery in Perugia, where the friars there lived a much more strict observance than those in Lombardy. He also lived in Foligno for several years.
Blessed Anthony made a pilgrimage to Saint James of Compostela in Spain and there used his medical skills to care for poor people who were sick. In 1464 he began a ten-year apostolic journey, traveling to Spain, France and Italy, caring for the sick and preaching the Gospel. In fact, through out his life he was known for his care of the sick and his preaching.
At the end of his journey, Blessed Anthony was sent to the Augustinian monastery of Aquila and for the next 18 years, he was chaplaim and spiritual director of the Augustinian Nuns in the Monastery of Saint Lucy there. He was also the director of the Augustinian Tertiaries, and promoted the Third Order, encouraging lay people to know and live the ideals of Augustine.
He died July 24, 1494 in Aquila. He was first buried at the Church of Saint Bernard. Later his body was moved to the church at the Augustinian Monastery of Sant’Amico in Aquila. His feast is observed among the Augustinian on July 24.