Cajetan | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Saint Cajetan | |
| Priest and Confessor | |
| Born | 1 October 1480 Vicenza,Veneto,Republic of Venice (now Italy) |
| Died | 7 August 1547(1547-08-07) (aged 66) Naples,Campania,Kingdom of Naples |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 8 October 1629,Saint Peter's Basilica,Papal States byPope Urban VIII |
| Canonized | 12 April 1671, Saint Peter's Basilica, Papal States byPope Clement X |
| Majorshrine | San Paolo Maggiore, Naples, Italy |
| Feast | 7 August |
| Attributes | Priest's cassock Book |
| Patronage | Bankers; unemployed people; workers; job seekers;Albania; Italy;Ħamrun (Malta); Argentina; Brazil;El Salvador;Guatemala;Labo, Camarines Norte, Philippines |
Gaetano dei Conti di ThieneCR (6 October 1480 – 7 August 1547), known asSaint Cajetan, was an Italian Catholic priest and religious reformer, co-founder of theTheatines. He is recognised as asaint in theCatholic Church, and his feast day is 7 August.
Cajetan was born in October 1480, the son of Gaspar, lord ofThiene, and Mary Porta, persons of the first rank among the nobility of the territory ofVicenza, inVeneto[1] Region.
His father died when he was two years of age. Quiet and retiring by nature,[2] he was predisposed to piety by his mother. Cajetan studiedlaw inPadua, receiving his degree asdoctor utriusque juris (i.e., in civil and canon law) at age 24. In 1506 he worked as a diplomat forPope Julius II, with whom he helped reconcile theRepublic of Venice.[3] But he was not ordained apriest until the year 1516.
With the death of Pope Julius II in 1513, Cajetan withdrew from the papal court.[3] Recalled to Vicenza by the death of his mother, he founded in 1522 ahospital for incurables there.[4] By 1523, he had established a hospital in Venice, as well. His interests were as much or more devoted to spiritual healing than the physical kind, and he joined a confraternity in Rome called the "Oratory of Divine Love".[1] He intended to form a group that would combine the spirit ofmonasticism with the exercises of the active ministry.
A new congregation was canonically erected byPope Clement VII in the year 1524. One of his four companions was Giovanni Pietro Carafa, theBishop of Chieti, elected first superior of the order, who later became pope asPaul IV. From the name of the city ofChieti (inLatin:Theate), arose the name by which the order is known, the "Theatines".[4] The order grew at a fairly slow pace: there were only twelve Theatines during thesack of Rome in 1527, during which Cajetan was tortured by mutinous soldiers ofCharles V.[5] The Theatines managed to escape to Venice.[4]
There Cajetan metJerome Emiliani, whom he assisted in the establishment of hisCongregation of Clerks Regular. In 1533, he founded a house in Naples. The year 1540 found him in Venice again and from there he extended his work toVerona.[3] He founded a bank to help the poor and offer an alternative to usurers (who charged high interest rates).[6] It later became theBanco di Napoli.
Cajetan died inNaples on 7 August 1547.[6] His remains are in the church ofSan Paolo Maggiore in Naples;[7] outside the church is Piazza San Gaetano, with a statue.
He wasbeatified on 8 October 1629 byPope Urban VIII. On 12 April 1671, Cajetan wascanonized byPope Clement X.[6] Saint Cajetan'sfeast day is celebrated on 7 August.
Jesuit missionaryEusebio Kino in 1691 established the mission San Cayetano de Tumacácori in honour of Cajetan. It is nowTumacacori National Historical Park inArizona.
He is known as thepatron saint of Argentina and of the unemployed.[8]
