| Saint Cajetan | |
|---|---|
Saint Cajetan |
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| Confessor | |
| Born | October 1, 1480 Vicenza, Veneto, Republic of Venice (now Italy) |
| Died | August 7, 1547 (aged 66) Naples, Campania, Kingdom of Naples |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | October 8, 1629, Rome by Pope Urban VIII |
| Canonized | April 12, 1671, Rome by Pope Clement X |
| Feast | August 7 |
| Patronage | workers; gamblers; job seekers; unemployed people; Albania; Italy; Ħamrun (Malta); Argentina; Brazil; El Salvador; Guatemala |
Saint Cajetan (October 1, 1480 – August 7, 1547), born Gaetano dei Conti di Tiene (also Thiene), is a Catholic Church saint and founder of the order of the Clerics Regular, better known as the Theatines. He is not to be confused with his contemporary, Cardinal Thomas Cajetan.
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Predisposed to piety by his mother, he studied law in Padua, receiving his degree as doctor utriusque juris (i.e., in civil and canon law) at age 24. In 1506 he worked as a diplomat for Pope Julius II with whom he helped reconcile the Venetian Republic. But he was not ordained a priest until the year 1516.
Recalled to Vicenza in the following year by the death of his mother, he founded a hospital for incurables there. His interests were as much or more devoted to spiritual healing than the physical kind. He intended to form a group that would combine the spirit of monasticism with the exercises of the active ministry. The death of Pope Adrian VI in 1523 led him to withdraw from the Papal Court, founding an order based on these ideals, "the Oratory of Divine Love."
This new congregation was canonically erected by Pope Clement VII in the year 1524. One of his four companions was Giovanni Pietro Carafa, the Bishop of Chieti, elected first superior of the order, who later became Pope as Paul IV. From the name of the city of Chieti (in Latin: Theate), arose the name by which the order is known, the "Theatines". The order grew at a fairly slow pace: there were only twelve Theatines during the sack of Rome in 1527. That event is said to have seen them harassed by anti-Catholic forces, causing them to flee to Venice where Cajetan met Saint Jerome Emiliani, whom he assisted in the establishment of his Congregation of Clerks Regular. In 1533 he founded a house in Naples which aided those who wished to check the advances of Lutheranism. The year 1540 found him in Venice again and from there he extended his work to Verona.
Despite successes, he died of grief in Naples, in the Kingdom of Naples. He was beatified on October 8, 1629, by Pope Urban VIII. On April 12, 1671, Cajetan was canonized together with Rose of Lima, Luis Beltrán, Francisco de Borja and Felipe Benicio.
Saint Cajetan's feast day is celebrated on August 7. He is known as the patron saint of the unemployed, gamblers, job seekers and good fortune. His remains are in the church of San Paolo Maggiore in Naples; outside the church is Piazza San Gaetano, with a statue of the saint.
Saint Cajetan is one of the principal saints invoked in the Roman Catholic Church in Argentina. He is known in Argentina as the "Patron of labour" (Spanish: "Patrono del trabajo"). The Church of San Cayetano in Buenos Aires, located in the barrio (neighbourhood) of Liniers is visited every August 7 by millions of devotees asking for his intercession in obtaining gainful employment or to thank him for employment already obtained.
Saint Cajetan (Maltese: "San Gejtanu") is one of the patron saints of Ħamrun, and his feast is celebrated the first Sunday after August 7. Many are the people who attend the celebrations every year, and the feast's Sunday Morning March is one of the most popular Marches in Malta. Early in the evening, a procession with the beautiful statue of Saint Cajetan leaves the church and is carried in procession all around Hamrun.
San Gejtanu Parish is located almost at the centre of Ħamrun, and this church was home for Saint Gorg Preca, a Maltese Saint who used to attend Holy Mass in this parish. Saint Gorg Preca's life is similar to that of Saint Cajetan, especially when considering their love for Jesus, their values, and the good examples they both gave in their lives.
Saint Cajetan's Church was built in the 19th century and is of Neo-Gothic Style. The interior was painted by Emvin Cremona, whilst the titular statue was Carlo Darmanin's work. Ħamrunizi (people of Ħamrun) are very much devoted to their patron saint and many are those asking for his intercession.