Resurrection of the Lord Catholic Church

Feast date: Apr 27

On April 27 the Catholic Church honors Saint Zita, a 13th century Italian woman whose humble and patient service to God has made her a patron saint of maids and other domestic workers.

Born into poverty during the early 1200s, Zita was taught by her mother from an early age to seek God's will in all circumstances. She had already developed a strong prayer life by the time she was sent, at age 12, to work in the home of the Fatinelli family in Lucca.

Zita's employers lived near a church where she managed – by waking up extremely early in the morning – to attend daily Mass. She looked upon her work primarily as a means of serving God, and kept herself mindful of his presence during long hours of exhausting tasks.

Her presence in the Fatinelli household, however, was inexplicably unwelcome and met with harsh treatment for a number of years. Zita suffered hostility and abuse from her employers, including fits of rage and beatings.

The young woman faced these trials with patience and inner strength developed through a life of prayer. In time, the members of the household came to value her service, and appreciate the virtues she had acquired through God's grace.

Zita maintained her humility when she was promoted to a position of responsibility within the Fatinelli home. She continued to view her earthly responsibilities as a service to God, and to seek his presence through prayer and fasting. She also refused to hold a grudge against those who once mistreated her.

Within her new household role, Zita was faithful to Christ's admonition that superiors should conduct themselves as the servants of all. She was kind to those under her direction, and mindful of the poor through frequent almsgiving to the point of personal sacrifice.

Throughout her life, Zita found a source of strength and consolation in the Mass and Holy Communion, which frequently moved her to tears. Despite her many responsibilities, she frequently set aside time to recall God's presence through contemplative prayer in the course of the day.

One anecdote relates a story of Zita giving her own food or that of her master to the poor. On one morning, Zita left her chore of baking bread to tend to someone in need. Some of the other servants made sure the Fatinelli family was aware of what happened; when they went to investigate, they claimed to have found angels in the Fatinelli kitchen, baking the bread for her.

After foretelling her own death and spiritually preparing for it, Saint Zita died in Lucca on April 27, 1271. Many residents regarded her as a saint and began to seek her intercession, to which a large number of miracles were attributed. Some writers even began referring to the city of Lucca as “Santa Zita” in her honor.

The Fatinelli family, which had once caused St. Zita such extreme suffering, eventually contributed to the cause of her canonization. The earliest account of her life was found in a manuscript belonging to the family, and published in 1688.

The Church's liturgical veneration of St. Zita was introduced in the early 1500s, and confirmed by Pope Innocent XII in 1696. In 1580, her body was exhumed and found to be miraculously incorrupt, but it has since been mummified. It is venerated today in the Basilica of St. Frediano, where she attended Mass during her life.

As the Italian city of Venice prepares to welcome Pope Francis on Sunday morning, our correspondent Deborah Castellano Lubov offers us a look ahead at the Pope’s scheduled events on the sidelines of the Venice Art Biennale.

Read all

 

An event at the Marconi Museum inside the Vatican on Saturday celebrates 150 years since the birth of the man who set up Vatican Radio. Present, alongside the Prefect and directors of the Dicastery for Communications, were also Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, and Guglielmo Marconi’s grandson.

Read all

 

British troops could be positioned on the ground in Gaza to help deliver aid via a new maritime route.

Read all

 

Pope Francis meets the community of the Seminary of Burgos, Spain, and urges it to fill Spain’s depopulated rural areas with God by freeing themselves from “false human securities.”

Read all

 

On the eve of Pope Francis’ pastoral visit to Venice, Archbishop Francesco Moraglia reflects on the significance of his meeting with inmates at the city’s Giudecca prison, “a place of expiation and rebirth, but also a place of art” as it hosts the Holy See’s Pavilion at the Contemporary Art Biennale.

Read all

 

Pope Francis meets with participants in an event promoted by the Great Age Foundation, and says intergenerational love has the power to transform society and impart wisdom.

Read all

 

Reports on Israeli television suggest Israel is expected to begin evacuating civilians from Rafah ahead of a planned ground attack.

Read all

 

Pope Francis will take part in the upcoming G7 session on Artificial Intelligence under Italy’s presidency of the group.

Read all

 

The baby girl who was brought into the world thanks to an emergency cesarean delivery while her mother died from injuries inflicted by Israeli bombs, has herself died. About 15,000 children have died in Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Read all