St. Cajetan

Their story

Cajetan was born in 1480 in Vicenza, in northern Italy, to a noble family. He earned a doctorate in law and went to Rome to work as a diplomat for the pope. In Rome he joined the Oratory of Divine Love, a group of priests and lay people devoted to prayer and works of charity, and he was ordained a priest in 1516. He cared for the sick in hospitals for the incurable, often doing the most humble tasks himself. Cajetan was deeply troubled by the worldliness of many clergy in his time. In 1524 he founded a community of priests, the Theatines, to renew the holiness of the clergy and the life of the Church. They lived in poverty and refused even to beg, trusting completely in God's providence to provide what they needed. In Naples, Cajetan saw how the poor were crushed by moneylenders who charged huge interest. To help them, he supported the founding of a charitable bank that gave small loans at very low cost. He died in Naples on August 7, 1547, and was canonized in 1671. Because of his trust in Providence and his care for the poor, he is honored as the patron of workers and of those looking for work. In Argentina, huge crowds visit his shrines each August 7 to pray for "bread and work."