Hail Glorious St Cajetan! Feast Day 7th August

Glorious Saint Cajetan, acclaimed by

all people to be the father of providence

because you provide miraculous aid to

all in need, I stand here before you today,

asking that you present to the Lord our God

the requests that I confidently deposit

in your hands today.

May these graces that I now request
help me to always seek the Kingdom
of God and his Righteousness,
knowing that God — who dresses with
beauty the flowers of the field and
abundantly feeds the birds of the
sky — will give me all other

things. Amen.

O Glorious St Cajetan, Father of Divine Providence, help all those who are unemployed, who search for employment and who fear for their jobs, lead them towards what they are looking for and pray for us all that we may be courageous in the face of adversity.

St Cajetan on his Feast day asks us to have hope and to trust in God's bounty, to look to the future and not to surrender to our doubts and fears.

The death of St Cajetan from a fresco in S. Paulo Maggiore, Naples

Imitate St. Cajetan's devotion to Our Blessed Lady, 

by invoking her aid before every work.

St Cajetan in art and popular devotion

An 18th century painted tile of St Cajetan, Valencia, Spain

A modern tile picture of St Cajetan from Seville

A devotee of St Cajetan in Buenos Aires

Monthly Commemoration of St Cajetan

O Glorious St Cajetan, Father of Divine Providence, help all those who are unemployed, who search for employment and who fear for their jobs, lead them towards what they are looking for and pray for us all that we may be courageous in the face of adversity.

St Cajetan on his monthly day of commemoration asks us to have hope and to trust in God's bounty, to look to the future and not to surrender to our doubts and fears!

Holy & Glorious St Cajetan, pray for us and all who seek your aid!

Monthly Commemoration of St Cayetano

O Glorious St Cajetan, Father of Divine Providence, help all those who are unemployed, who search for employment and who fear for their jobs, lead them towards what they are looking for and pray for us all that we may be courageous in the face of adversity.

St Cajetan on his monthly day of commemoration asks us to have hope and to trust in God's bounty, to look to the future and not to surrender to our doubts and fears.

Monthly Commemoration of St Cajetan - Trust & Do Not Worry!

A 19th century holy card of St Cajetan

O Glorious St Cajetan, Father of Divine Providence, help all those who are unemployed, who search for employment and who fear for their jobs, lead them towards what they are looking for and pray for us all that we may be courageous in the face of adversity

"We can only meet God in the present moment. This is an area where God chooses to place limits on His own power. We choose whether or not to live in the present moment. Because we can encounter God only in that present moment, whenever we live in the past or in the future, we place ourselves beyond His reach.

We can only make decisions in the present moment. We can only enjoy sights and sounds in the present moment. We can only love or hate in the present moment. The present moment is the interface between ourselves and the rest of the universe, and, more importantly, it is the only point of contact between the individual and God. Of all the possible points of time, only the present moment is available for repentance. The past cannot be taken back and remade. The future remains forever outside our reach."

St Cajetan on his monthly day of commemoration asks us to have hope and to trust in God's bounty, to look to the future and not to surrender to our doubts and fears.

The Miraculous Image of St Cajetan, S Lorenzo, Turin,
showing his altar now and during the  first half of the 20th century.

A Saint Besieged: Heaven Knows, Many Need Help

St Cajetan praying to the Holy Virgin

A newspaper article from the late 1990s 

when the Argentine Financial Crisis was at its height

8th August 1997

Unable to feed his family after losing his job as a welder last year, Roberto Fuentes went to church on Wednesday afternoon to petition St. Cayetano, the patron saint of bread and work.

But Mr. Fuentes had to wait in line, a rather long line stretching 15 city blocks, as Argentines flocked to pay homage to St. Cayetano, a priest who used his family fortune to help the poor of Naples and who died on Aug. 7, 1547.

After waiting 18 hours through a freezing winter night, Mr. Fuentes, 32, burst into tears and walked on his knees when he entered St. Cayetano Sanctuary on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

''As it was in your day, St. Cayetano, the Government ignores those in need,'' Mr. Fuentes said, kneeling before a statue of the saint. ''We are hungry, we are cold, we are suffering. All we have is you, dear Saint.''

It was a scene repeated over and over again today as more than a million people passed through the church -- a record turnout, according to police estimates.

On seeing the small statue of St. Cayetano, which cradles a baby Jesus in its arms, many people gasped, crossed themselves or prayed loudly as they held rosaries. Some kissed or placed their hands on the glass encasing the statue. An elderly woman fainted at the foot of the statue but was revived by Red Cross workers, who said she had forgotten to eat during the nine hours she waited.

Church officials said the vast pilgrimage was an extraordinary outpouring of faith and proof that Roman Catholicism was still relevant in Argentina despite the recent growth of Protestantism and sects.

But critics of President Carlos Saul Menem's Government said the large turnout reflected just how desperate Argentines have become after years of record unemployment and declining salaries in a country that was accustomed to lifelong employment.

Church officials said the Government's inflexibility perhaps explained why the number of Argentines who came to honor St. Cayetano was so large this year.

''Argentines are an intelligent people and they know where to go when they need help, especially material things,'' said the Rev. Fernando Maletti, who oversees St. Cayetano Sanctuary. ''They know when it's appropriate to block roads, or to knock on the door of a Government agency, or to go to church and ask God or the saints for what they need.''

O Glorious St Cajetan, Father of Divine Providence, help all those who are unemployed, who search for employment and who fear for their jobs, lead them towards what they are looking for and pray for us all that we may be courageous in the face of adversity.

Monthly Commemoration of St Cajetan

A Statue of St Cajetan from Hamrun, Malta

O Glorious St Cajetan, Father of Divine Providence, help all those who are unemployed, who search for employment and who fear for their jobs, lead them towards what they are looking for and pray for us all that we may be courageous in the face of adversity

Why positivity must be carefully cultivated and negativity avoided at all costs

Once, a young man visited the renowned Father Paisios of Mt Athos for advice. Being simple-hearted, however, he couldn't restrain himself from listening to negative thoughts. These thoughts were acting as an obstacle to every good work he was trying to accomplish. Father Paisios, due to his discretion, realised that his negative thoughts were the cause of his problem and told him the following:

-There was a man who used to say: “If I get married and have children, and my children are boys and there is war, they will have to join the army and finally they will get killed. So, there is no reason for me to get married.”

Then, the Elder turns to him and says:

- Isn't that a silly thought?

- Yes, the young man replied.

The Elder went on:

-Be careful, because you are doing the same thing. Bear in mind that you will never achieve anything good, if you think and act this way.

Fr Paisios (1924-1994) in his cell on Mt Athos

 

Monthly Commemoration Of St Cajetan

St Cajetan holding the Christ Child, Sta Catalina, Seville

 O Glorious St. Cajetan, shining model of virtue and ornament of the Priesthood, you rejected the corruption amongst the clergy of your time, your only concern being for the poor and abandoned who you brought to God through teaching them the prayers of the Holy Rosary and through devotion to the Saints. You were truly a spiritual shepherd, and all your concern was focused on the salvation of souls. But as well as caring for their souls, you also were concerned with the temporal necessities of your flock, seeking to lift them out of their poverty, not just by feeding them but also helping them gain a dignified living by work. Look upon us with pity, O glorious saint, we have many unemployed people in our midst and their families go hungry. We ask you to guide all who are looking for work, especially fathers and mothers. Amen

O Glorious St Cajetan, Father of Divine Providence, help all those who are unemployed, who search for employment and who fear for their jobs, lead them towards what they are looking for and pray for us all that we may be courageous in the face of adversity

In any suffering or pain we are never alone!

Loving Father, you who rejoices in both our work and our play, 

I come before You, unemployed, afraid, and shaken in my trust.

When I lose courage and hope while searching for work, be my rock of safety.

When I find it hard to believe in my talents, revive in me an appreciation of the gifts You have given to each of us.

When I begin to doubt my worth, help me to remember that I do not need to earn Your love. 

When our fears take hold and start to overwhelm us, let us find comfort in Your care for us and for those we love. 

Thank You for all those who continue to support and encourage us during this difficult time. 

May it bring us closer to one another and to You.

An 18th century Italian print of the death of St Cajetan

The Holy Death Of St Cajetan

The authorities at Naples, civil as well as ecclesiastical, had resolved to institute the Inquisition in the city, to guard the faithful more thoroughly against heresy. The people were, however, opposed to it to such an extent, that a revolt was feared, and neither the exhortations and persuasions of St. Cajetan nor of other men were of any avail. The holy man was deeply distressed at the danger posed to so great a city and still more to so many souls. Hence he offered his life as a sacrifice to appease the wrath of the Almighty, praying that God would accept of it, restore peace, and spare the city and its inhabitants. The following event will show how pleased the Almighty was with this sacrifice. Soon after the Saint had offered himself to Heaven, he became dangerously sick, and repeating his offer, died a most peaceful and holy death, having had the privilege of seeing Christ and the Blessed Virgin. The Saviour assured him of his salvation, the Divine Mother of her protection until his death. And yet he would not die in any other manner than as a penitent; for when the physician said he needed a more comfortable bed, he protested most emphatically against it, saying that he would not, in his last hour, allow his body any comfort, but that he would be laid in his penitential robes upon ashes on the ground, adding: "There is no road leading to Heaven but that of innocence or repentance. He who has departed from the first, must take the second; else he is eternally lost." 

He received the last Sacraments with great devotion, turned his eyes towards Heaven, and rendered up his soul tranquilly to God, in the year of our Lord 1547. The strife in the city soon after ceased and peace was restored, as if God had wished to show that He had accepted the life of St. Cajetan as a peace offering for the salvation of innumerable souls. 

Monthly Commemoration of St Cajetan

An Italian Holy Card from 1947 commemorating

the 400th Anniversary of the Theatine Order

Only one month to go until St Cajetan's Feast on the 7th August!
The Novena will start on the 29th July to end on the eve of the feast.


St Cajetan on his monthly day of commemoration asks us to have hope and to trust in God's bounty, to look to the future and not to surrender to our doubts and fears.

O Glorious St Cajetan, Father of Divine Providence, help all those who are unemployed, who search for employment and who fear for their jobs, lead them towards what they are looking for and pray for us all that we may be courageous in the face of adversity