Saint Anthony Maria Zaccaria

Council of Trent Issue: St. Anthony Zaccaria Scott 112 (1946) July 5 is the Feast Day for Saint Anthony Zaccaria. He died on this day at the age of 37 in 1539. Anthony Zaccaria (1502-1539) is the founder of the Barnabite Order. A native of Cremona, Italy (Lombardy), he studied medicine at Padua and practiced medicine in Cremona. He was ordained priest in 1528 to minister to both physical and spiritual needs of his patients. He founded an order of priests in 1530 to carry out his mission, emphasizing faithful preaching and administration of the sacraments. His work was primarily in Milan and Vicenza. He died prematurely on July 5, 1539 of natural causes. His mission occurred at a time of a revival of Christian life in Italy during an era prior to the reforms of the Council of Trent. Zaccaria was canonized for his works in 1897 by Pope Leo XIII. His order was cited in the 1946 Council of Trent issue as the type of order encouraged by reformers during the protestant reformation era. In addition to Zaccaria, other ‘new’ orders honored in that stamp issue included those found by St. Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Angela Merici, and Saint Catejan. References: David Farmer, Oxford Dictionary of Saints Dawn Marie Beutner, Saints: Becoming an Image of Christ Every Day of the Year James C Hamilton, Vatican Notes, Volume 63, Number 366, pp. 12-31, 2015, The 1946 Council of Trent Issue Greg Pirozzi, Vatican Notes, Volume 59, Number 347, pp.15-18, 2011, "Council of Trent Series – Unique Vignette Sketches"