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Council of Trent: St. Cajetan of Thiene Scott 114 (1946) August 7 marks the Feast of Saint Cajetan of Thiene. He was an Italian Catholic priest and religious reformer who co-founded the Theatines order and became a key figure in the Catholic Counter-Reformation. He is known as the "Father of Providence" as miracles have been attributed to his intercession. Born in Vicenza, Italy in 1480 to a noble family, he went on to study civil and canon law at the University of Padua and was ordained in 1516. While holding ecclesiastical office in Rome, he founded the Congregation of Divine Love. It encouraged devotion to God among its members. Cajetan then performed charitable work among the sick and the poor in northern Italy. His noble friends were scandalized that he associated with the poor and less fortunate. His next focus concentrated on improving the education of priests and was associated with Bishop John Peter Caraffa (later Pope Paul IV) in forming the Congregation of Clerics Regular (1523), the Theatines (from Caraffa’s see of Chieti). The congregations were subject to vows, with an emphasis placed on scriptural study, Christian doctrine, and spirituality. After the 1527 Sack of Rome, Cajetan relocated in Naples where much work of reform was required. The congregation founded pawnshops to help people in financial difficulty (and not exploit the users). Historian Dawn Marie Buetner writes: "The group grew slowly at first, but his example, preaching, and works gradually brought about a reformation of discipline among the clergy and a greater devotion among the laity.Cajetan died in 1547. His relics are at the Church of San Paolo Maggiore in Naples, and he was canonized in 1671. He appears in the 1946 Council of Trent issue because the Theatines represented the new type of order favored by the reformers at Trent along with other founders such as Saints Angela Merici, Ignatius of Loyola, and Anthony Zaccaria. REFERENCES: |
