Priest and Founder (1480-1547)
His life
+ Cajetan was born in Vicenza, Italy. After studying law at Padua, and serving as a diplomat for Pope Julius II, he was ordained a priest in Rome in 1516.
+ While in Rome he reestablished the priestly confraternity of the Oratory of Divine Love. Returning to Vicenza he began to minister to the poor, making his way to Verona and to Venice.
+ In 1523 Cajetan founded a congregation of diocesan priests bound by vows and the Rule of Saint Augustine.
+ The Clerks Regular of the Mother of God (the Theatines) emphasized the priestly duties of preaching and sacramental ministry, study and care for the sick and poor. The Congregation was distinguished for its absolute trust in Divine Providence.
+ Remembered as a man dedicated to prayer, he experienced frequent ecstasies and spiritual consolations. Saint Cajetan died in 1547 and was canonized in 1671. Because he established a bank to help the poor—allowing them to escape the exploitative practices of the moneylenders of the time—he is honored as a patron saint of bankers.
For prayer and reflection
“Do not waver in your purpose, because even if all the saints and every single creature should abandon you, Christ will always be near you, whatever your needs.”—Saint Cajetan
Vocations
The Theatine Fathers and Brothers: www.theatineusa.com
Prayer
O God,
who endowed the Priest Saint Cajetan
with the grace of imitating the apostolic way of life,
grant us, through his example and intercession,
to trust in you at all times
and to seek unceasingly your Kingdom.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
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