"Dear St. Anthony, please come round, something's lost that must be found." How many times have believers and non-believers alike asked for St. Anthony's intercession? I have asked at least three times today alone. It seems like I am always misplacing something and I need someone to help me find it. Praying to St. Anthony has really made him dear to me. I no longer say "Dear St. Anthony" simply for the rhyme, but because he is one of the most prominent people in my life and I rely on him daily.

The realization that I ask a saint--who has been dead for centuries--for help instead of one of my living friends was startling. Why depend on a saint, especially since the majority of the world does not even believe in the power of the saints, when I live in an-overpopulated world? The correct assumption should be that there are billions of people to help me. What is going on?

We live in an extremely apathetic world. I ask a saint for help because I cannot rely on my friends to pull through for me. Ninety percent of the time, I call my friends, leave a message, and, if I'm lucky, 25% will call me or text me back. I can't even get my friends to come up with a good excuse for why they can't help me. And these are my friends, not my acquaintances. The only people I can rely on consistently are my boyfriend, my friend, Elizabeth, my parents, my grandmother, and St. Anthony. I talk to all of them every week. If I talk to anyone else, it usually isn't as often. Yes, I talk to a dead saint daily and he talks to God with me to help me out. And I have found everything I have ever lost--even years later when I had given up home.

Well, I am about to give up hope and I think St. Anthony and God may need years to help me with this one: "Dear St. Anthony, please come round, something's lost that must be found: a solution to apathy." I am getting close to being hopeless. Let me give you some examples. Everyday I have students that talk over me, even though I am giving them instructions so they can live successful lives. I tell them that they need to take responsibility for their school and to not litter and to pick up trash, even if it's not theirs. Today I found an obscene drawing in permanent marker on one of the desks. Finally, my mentor teacher, who has already had a rough year, had her house broken into today and everything valuable was taken. This morning it seemed that every time I turned around, I saw apathy and disrespect. How can I make the world a better place when all of this negativity overwhelms my best intentions?

Then I remembered that I am human. As such, I cannot do anything by myself. Humans--and animals--always need help to survive, to bring about change, to make the world a better place. I don't know how many of you read this, but if you do, whisper a prayer to St. Anthony and help us to make this world a more caring and welcoming place.

Dear St. Anthony...