Saint Zita of Lucca (c. 1218 - c. 1278)
Feast day: 27 April
Saint Zita was born in about 1218 to a poor but pious family in the village of Monsagrati in Tuscany, not far from Lucca. She became a servant in the household of the wealthy Fatinellis ,who were weavers in silk and wool. For a long time Zita was very badly treated by both her employers and her fellow workers; the latter were jealous of her because of her goodness and her dedication to her work. She felt strongly that devotion is false if it is slothful. She believed that her work was part of her service to God. She rose very early so as to have time for prayer and attended daily Mass. She gave away her own food to the poor and ate scraps instead.
There are several stories about her being saved from the consequences of giving her employers’ food to the poor. One account refers to a famine in Lucca, where Zita’s employer decided to make a quick profit by selling beans at a high price. However Zita had already given away some of his stock to the poor. The beans were miraculously replaced. Another one tells that Zita,came home late from church, with the bread still to bake. When she came into the kitchen she found a row of loaves ready for the oven. When Lucca was placed under interdict (1231-34), she used to go into Pisan territory for mass, which was dangerous, but she always seemed to be befriended by strangers and never came to any harm.
In time Zita’s goodness won over her employers and her fellow servants. She was put in charge of the household and became nurse to the children. Zita’s importance lies not in the fact that she allowed herself to be mistreated but that she did not let herself be dragged into the unkindness of those who persecuted her; instead she seems to have drawn them into her goodness. Her first biography was written by a member of the Fatinelli family, Monsignor Fatinelli.
Zita died in about 1278. She is the patroness, among other things, of domestic workers and lost keys. The humble servant Zita would perhaps be somewhat surprised to learn that the last Austrian empress - who also came from Lucca - was named after her.
St Zita of Lucca, pray for us.