St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
Born in Cremona, Italy toward the end of 1502, since his childhood, Anthony Zaccaria distinguished himself for his piety, purity and charity. He attended medical school at the University of Padua; however, when he returned to Cremona, instead of carinf for physical infirmities, he “devoted himself to the life of the spirit. In 1528 Anthony Mary was ordained a priest and continued to preach God’s Word and to promote the renewal of Christian fervor. Invited to Guastalla by Countess Ludovica Torelli, he became her chaplain. In 1530 he went to Milan and became a member of the Oratory of Eternal Wisdom, where he met Bartholomew Ferrari and James Anthony Morigia. With them and under the guidance of his spiritual director, Father Battista da Crema, Anthony Mary Zaccaria founded the Congregation of the Clerics Regular of St. Paul, approved by Pope Clement VII on February 18, 1533 and confirmed by Pope Paul III on July 24, 1535. During the same years Anthony Mary founded the Institute of the Angelic Sisters of Saint Paul and formed the group of the Laity of St. Paul.
Following the example of St. Paul and compelled by God’s love, Anthony tirelessly preached the mystery of the Cross and of the Eucharist. Exhausted by his zeal he died in Cremona, in his mother’s arms, on July 5, 1539. He was canonized by Leo XIII on May 27, 1897. His relics are venerated in the Church of St. Barnabas in Milan, Italy.