St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria

Their story

Anthony Mary Zaccaria was born in 1502 in Cremona, in northern Italy. His father died when he was a baby, and his young widowed mother devoted herself to raising him in faith and charity. He studied medicine at the University of Padua and returned home to practice as a doctor, caring especially for the poor. As he cared for people's bodies, he realized how many needed healing of soul as well, and he began to study theology. He was ordained a priest in 1528. The Church in Anthony's time badly needed renewal, and he gave himself to it with energy. In Milan he founded the Clerics Regular of St. Paul, known as the Barnabites, a community of priests devoted to preaching and renewing Christian life. He also founded a community of religious sisters and encouraged married couples to live their faith more deeply, so that priests, sisters and lay people could work together. He loved the letters of St. Paul and drew his inspiration from them. Anthony had a great love for the Eucharist and Christ's Passion. He helped spread the devotion of Forty Hours of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and encouraged the ringing of church bells on Friday afternoons to remind people of Christ's death. Worn out by his work, he died in Cremona on July 5, 1539, at only 36. He was canonized in 1897.