St. Anthony Maria Zaccaria St Anthony Maria Zaccaria (Italian: Antonio Maria) (1502 - 5 July 1539) was born at Cremona, Italy. His lost his father at the age of two, and was brought up as an only child by his mother. At an early age, he took a private vow of chastity. He studied philosophy at Pavia, and from 1520 medicine at the University of Padua. After completing studies in 1524, he practised as a doctor in Cremona for three years. In 1527, he started studying for the priesthood. Because of his already extensive studies and his Christian upbringing, he was ordained in 1528. Having explored his calling for two years, mainly working in hospitals and institutions for the poor, he became spiritual advisor to Countess Ludovica Torelli of Guastalla in 1530, and followed her to Milan. There, he founded an order, the Clerics Regular of St Paul (commonly known as the Barnabites), in 1530. The order had the teachings of St. Paul and emphasis on the Eucharist as its main devotions. As the order was critical of what they saw as abuses in the Roman Catholic Church, he soon gained a number of enemies, and as founder of the order he was twice investigated for heresy, in 1534 and 1537. He was acquitted both times. In 1536, he stepped down as general of the order and went to Vicenza, where he reformed two convents and founded the order's second house. While in Vincenza, he first performed his Forty-hour devotion, a wake lasting forty hours to be used in times of dire need. The practise is still popular in Italy. He also revived the custom of ringing church bells at 3 p.m. on Fridays, in remembrance of the Crucifixion. He left only a few writings: Twelve letters, six sermons and the constitution of the Barnabites. While on a mission to Guastalla in 1539, he caught a fever. Combined with the strict penances he performed, his health waned, and he died on 5 July 1539, aged 37. He was buried in the convent of the Angelics of St Paul, the female branch of the Barnabites, in Milan. 27 years after his death, his body was found to be incorrupt. He was honoured as a saint by the Barnabites and others, but his cult was not confirmed before 3 January 1890, when Pope Leo XIII beatified him. The same pontiff canonized him on 27 May 1897. His memorial day is 5 July. In art, he is depicted wearing the black cassock of the order and holding a lily, cross, chalice and/or host. Most Popular Articles: Music    Musical Instruments    Guitar    Classical Music    History    Music Definition    Country Music    Rock Music    Pop Music    Hip Hop    Rap    DJ    Video Games    Casino Games    Poker    Blackjack    Casinos    Real Estate    Loan    Auction    eBay    Marketing    Search Engine Optimization    File Sharing    MP3    Music Industry    Kazaa    Internet    Supermodel    Fashion    Fashion Designers    Erotica    Modeling    Clothing    Boots    Shoes    Diamond Engagement Rings    Diamond    Rugs    Gospel Music    Affiliate    E-Commerce    Radio This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Anthony_Maria_Zaccaria