His Life

Early life.

The future pillar of faith Gaetano was born of a noble family in October of 1480 at Thiene, near Vicenza in Northern Italy. This city owed its allegiance to Venice and was a centre for textiles. His father was Count Caspare Thiene and his mother Maria Porto. Those days, last names were usually the same names where the family was originally established, and so with the surname Thiene, Gaetano's last name. Some historians indicate that he was born in a house close to the 'Furo' bridge, others say that it took place closer to the 'Pusterla' bridge, the latter being less probable even though on the facade of the 'Roi' Palace in the area there is an inscription dating from the year 1800 stating that 'within these walls was born Gaetano Thiene - a great person and a great Saint, Hosanna in heaven and on earth'. Most probably his birth took place in a palace in Corso Palladio, nowadays called 'Sindacaria di San Marcello', and this theory is backed by recent studies. He was the second son born after John Baptist and Alexander. Even before his birth he was dedicated by his mother to the Virgin Mother of God. Because of this and because of the pious life he lived from an early age, he was called Gaetano of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Born twelve years before the discovery of America and three years before Martin Luther, he was named after his maternal great-uncle, who was a Canon and professor at the University of Padova and considered to be a leading theologian of his time. His uncle had died in 1465, fifteen years before Gaetano's birth. This name was derived from the place of origin, Gaeta. Several prelates and cardinals, as well as governors of Milan and Naples, were in the same family line. Gaetano was 2 years old when he lost his father to war near Velletri, not in action but probably of malaria, after the victory of the Papal troops on the 21st August 1482. This resulted in three orphans who luckily had a mother of strong character who could raise them by herself. The family judge recognized her integrity and prudence and awarded her the custody of the three children. Soon the youngest, still an infant, would pass away.

From his childhood under the eyes of his devout mother who was a Dominican tertiary, Gaetano showed such wonderful innocence that all who knew him called him 'The Saint'. Even from an early age he was pious and liked solitude, so he used to visit the nearby Churches. He was remarkable in his obedience, his temperance and his charity towards the poor very early, and one could see the mercy which the child had towards others and which he carried into his youth. His generosity towards the poor was out of the ordinary and there was no need for the deprived to ask because he gave them all he had, and when that was gone, he used to solicit alms from family and friends to give to the poor.

His behaviour at home was exemplary, the only excess being that of his charity where he was admonished more than once to be more reasonable. His answer used to be that people of the nobility like himself had the duty not to forget Christ's humiliation on Calvary. He was also frequenting the church of Santa Corona (which is still standing nowadays). He grew up with his maternal cousin of the same age Luigi da Porto. It was this cousin of his that later on in life wrote the novel 'Romeo and Juliet' which inspired William Shakespeare. We do not know too many details about his childhood, but we can be sure that his studies were at home under the supervision of tutors as was the custom of the nobility in those days.

He first entered the local Thiene Lyceum where he studied Human sciences and Rhetoric. Later, at the end of his studies in Vicenza, he was obliged to continue his higher education at Padova university, the best one in Italy. This was the tradition among those of this class and of his family, but of course we must also consider that his great uncle whose name was given him, had been professor there. In the University of Padova the pious youth found the liberal environment quite different from the sheltered family environment of Vicenza. The young people here found themselves free from family control and usually lapsed in their faith, but our young Saint, while studying even harder than he did in Vicenza, reinforced his religious life with prayer and mortification and intensified his quest for charity.

He started to visit the poorest of the sick in hospital bringing them gifts and doing the meanest of jobs that the nurses hated to do. For Gaetano, with Mass every morning, university lectures throughout the day, extra study and long visits to the hospital, twenty four hours a day weren't enough. Even so he sometimes found time to visit monks in their convent and converse, pray and make penitence with them. It is said that during his youth he used to play a particular game with anyone: he used to bet people he would complete a service promised them, but he did not bet for money but for recitations of the rosary and other prayers. He always seemed to deliver!

It was the intensification of his religious life during his university years that set his mind on becoming a priest. Truly this was his inner longing even before when he was still at his parents' palace and this attitude of his had never gone unnoticed by family members, friends and strangers alike. Padova therefore served as a fertile ground for encouraging his grand plan for living a saintly life through the priesthood. This comes out in one of his entries in the intimate diary he kept as a university student: 'I know too well, o Lord, that I am not worthy to be admitted among the consortium of these earthly angels (his way of viewing the ministry), I wish even so to merit it. You can see my burning desire to bind myself to you forever with priestly promises. Why therefore do you not console me, my dearest goodness? Anyway, my desire is not to want my way but your way. Accept at least these my heart's desires which in front of you become so real even when they cannot become a reality for me.'

The difference between Gaetano and other good people of this world, is that words like these said in the fervor of youth usually become diluted with the passage of time. Not so with Gaetano whose promises and vows made in youth were kept in adulthood. Because of this, he would become a rock of faith during the upheavals which were imminent inside the church... others would cling to this rock during the upcoming storms.

The stay in Padova had another effect on the young Gaetano; he was separated from his family not as regards loving care but because of his interests. At Vicenza the Thiene family had a palace where everything was carried out according to the social status of the nobility. Gaetano did not want to return to all that for too long but was obliged nonetheless to make contact with his mother and brother for a few days. So, with the hospital and the poor of Padova deep in his heart, he had to take this break at the end of his studies at the University. He had finished with a double honours degree of Doctor of Civil and of Canon law 'utriusque juris' on the 17th July 1504 at the early age of twenty four. The 'crown of laurel' was conferred upon him, the dream of every graduate those days. As soon as he graduated, Gaetano went to Rampazzo, where his family had some property. He chose the family residence at Rampazzo which, even though it was a castle, was more humble than their Vicenza mansion.

Here he came for a rest from his studies, a short vacation, but to his dismay, the twenty-four year old university graduate found that the people of Rampazzo, mostly farmers, were very deficient in religious instruction. They had the chapel of San Fermo but the pastor lived far from the town and rarely appeared to do his priestly duties. Gaetano set out at once to help the good people and organize some catechism for them. The fruit which grew from his efforts would have been more ample had they possessed a larger premises than the little chapel. Gaetano, coming from a rich family, was in possession of some income, but not enough. As was the custom those days, the firstborn inherited the largest amount. The eldest came to know about his younger brother's intention of building a church in Rampazzo, approved of the plan, and was very generous in his donation. In this manner, the church dedicated to Mary Magdalen was built. It was enlarged in later centuries and is still standing. It is now the Parish Church of Rampazzo.

The world of his day

The age that Gaetano Thiene came into was a time of social awakening, with new discoveries and inventions, and also exploration far away from the shores of Europe. It also saw some of the greatest changes regarding politics, wars and conquests, even huge upheavals within the Catholic church itself because of the 'Reformation'. Nature did not help too much either since the northern latitudes started suffering from what is now called 'The little ice age', cutting down on the yield of crops all over the world and dealing the northern countries some harsher climate than was usual, making way for a chain reaction of poverty throughout Europe.

In Gaetano's youth, Europe had already been introduced to new crops brought over from the New World by Columbus and others. Since he came from a rich and noble family, the young Gaetano might have well seen, all be it tasted, his first tomato or potato which like maize, peppers, allspice, pineapple and chocolate were newly discovered in the 'New world'. Human beings called 'Indians' (because of Columbus' conviction of having arrived in India) had been brought to Europe together with exotic birds such as parrots, never before known to exist. The New world being explored by Europeans was now being called America after Amerigo Vespucci and here, in future centuries San Gaetano's order would be sent for missionary work especially to the South. Here too, Europeans would spread the seeds of slavery in places like Brazil and Haiti and through the conquistadores show their greed by suppressing and destroying whole civilizations such as the Aztec of Mexico and the Inca of Peru. A while later they would even fight amongst themselves over territory with the Spanish and the Portuguese sweeping into Guarani territory and involving the church in the process.

Some inventions of the time must have affected Gaetano in little and greater ways. Innovations like the spinning wheel gave a boost to textile production while the invention of the commercial printing press by John Gutenberg in 1438, a few decades before Gaetano's birth revolutionized the spreading and sharing of knowledge and information, and proving itself an essential tool in the sowing the seed of the Word of God through the printing of the Holy Bible. The profession of publisher had already taken shape and consisted of type founder, printer and bookseller. Gaetano too availed himself of this fact and was already working hard in Veneto among the branches of his order remaining there until 1531. While starting up, assisting and consolidating all the houses of his new order together with the connected hospitals, churches and works of charity, he also accepted the services of the celebrated typographer Paganino Paganini. He remained in his service until his Theatines were well acquainted with the new revolutionary process and had a sort of publishing house of their own.

We may be sure that the news of discoveries made by European explorers in the new world like the first circumnavigation of the globe by Ferdinand Magellan in 1522 did arrive to Gaetano at one time or another. So must have had theories about astronomy like Copernicus' earth revolving around the sun published in 1512. We must keep in mind that Gaetano was an intelligent person who had studied at the best University in Italy and we can imagine that he must have discussed with the other students the fresh theories of astronomy. What we do not know is which way he swayed, that is what his beliefs were regarding these theories. Of one thing we can be sure, that if anything was against Christ's teachings, he would have discarded it too quickly.

His love for God's house and his meticulous following of Liturgy in church would have surely awakened in him an admiration for the arts of his time. His stint as the Pope's secretary and later sojourn and visits to Rome must have brought him to the Sistine chapel where Michaelangelo had started (in 1508) his now famous paintings on the ceiling. Gaetano must have stood in awe at all the glory and colourful depictions of saints and heavenly scenes. He must have also been well versed in Gregorian chant and used it liberally in his celebration of the liturgy. We can also be sure that he had also heard polyphonic music being sung in the Basilicas in Rome and would have been enchanted with the purity of Pierluigi da Palestrina's music had he lived a few more years.

In his century there would also arise unions of countries and invasions of European territories attempted by the Turkish Empire. Castile united with Aragon and formed Spain which later invaded the Navarre kingdom. War broke out between the Swabian league and Swiss cantons forcing the treaty of Basel wherein Switzerland gained its independence. The areas where San Gaetano spent his life were not yet united into what we now know as Italy, so by him going to different cities such as Rome with the Pope as both spiritual and temporal leader; Venice under the Doges; and Naples first under the French and then under Spanish jurisdiction with a Viceroy at its head, it was in fact three different countries and systems that our Saint was dealing with. Although his work was among the poor, he was many times dependent on the authorities and so, want it or not, he had his share of brushes with different rulers. The worst experience he and his company had, was when Rome was ransacked by foreign mercenaries. This period of Gaetano's life will be studied in depth in another chapter.

The expansion of the Ottoman empire especially to territories in Italy and neighbouring countries must have had some effect on our Saint, at least in a way. It was in August of the year when Gaetano was born that the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II sent a fleet commanded by Gedik Ahmed Pasha westward. It captured the Italian port city of Otranto. Further incursions into Italy ended with the death of Mehmed and fighting among his sons over the leadership of the Ottoman Empire. Had the Turks pressed forward they would have likely conquered most of Italy with little trouble, a feat accomplished by the French a few years later in 1494 and 1495. Had this occurred at this time, just as the Renaissance was getting off the ground, the history of Italy and of the world would have been dramatically different, and the story of our Saint too! The next year Otranto was won back from the Turks but they were still active, too close for comfort, invading Dalmatia and Croatia.

When Gaetano was a young man, probably in University, in 1499, Venice went to war against the Turks and its fleet was defeated at Sapienza. The next year Pope Alexander VI imposed a tithe for a crusade against the Turks. Gaetano was already ordained a year when a union of several European powers, the Holy League, was created. This was a Christian fighting force designed to combat the growing threat of Turkish expansion. At least, one of the last thrusts of the Ottomans against the Order of the Knights St. John (who were the same Crusaders fighting the Ottomans) was far away from Venice where Don Gaetano was doing his charitable work.

In 1523 Suleiman the Magnificent led the Ottoman Turks in an assault on the Hospitallers in Rhodes who were able to hold out until the end of the year when they formally surrendered and were able to secure the right to evacuate and later settle in Malta. It was only after Don Gaetano's death that after an unsuccessful siege on Malta in 1565, the Ottomans were at last vanquished at sea by an alliance of European states at the battle of Lepanto in 1571.

Rome - The urge for reform

In all eras, people have had a certain fascination for Rome, each person for a different reason be it for its culture, art, faith, social action or business, not to mention its special attraction for adventurers in Gaetano's time. After a brief stay in Rampazzo, the young Gaetano too felt its call. He was a really cultured young person and as we know of profound faith and saintly ideals, so it is simple to understand his decision to leave Rampazzo and Vicenza behind and transfer to Rome.

Gaetano's first contact with the Eternal City was right after acquiring his degree. A distinguished student, a real model for all his peers, Gaetano wanted a higher perfection and left his native town to seek obscurity in Rome, but here he did not find the city of Saints and Martyrs but a den of sin and decadence, in fact he wrote to Sister Laura Mignani on the 31 July 1517 asking her to "..pray for this city that once was holy and that has now become a Babylon".

In Rome he plunged right into his usual rigorous routine of study, prayer and visits to hospitals and poor houses. He started with unbiased zeal to acquire what was needed for the poor from the well to do. But first he needed a roof over his head and food to eat so he resolved this problem by taking on a job. The position of secretary at the Vatican was bought by him as was the infamous custom of those days, his family providing the funds for this purchase, from money due to him as inheritance. Julius II who was Pope at the time, very soon saw the potential of Gaetano and his noble soul and decided to promote him to Apostolic Protonotary, a higher position close to the Pope himself. Julius II did this in the face of competition from several older candidates possessing more experience than the young doctor at Law. He used to call him: "Dear son and Professor, Gaetano Thiene, writer well known to us".

Those in the Vatican court at this time paid little attention to the truth of the Gospel and were mostly involved in politics and intrigue. Gaetano did not complain or report but reacted to this by trying to imitate Christ in His poverty and showing by example a humble acceptance to the Lord's invitation to remove from one's self what makes one blind to one's own faults before dealing with the shortcomings of others. But, being in the Vatican amidst all this, placed him at a vantage point among Cardinals and Prelates. Soon he took an important share in reconciling the Republic of Venice with the Pontiff. The Pope gave him 'free' the parish of Malo in Vicenza and promised three other benefices as soon as they became vacant. 'Free' because like positions in the Vatican in those times, ecclesiastical benefices large or small were also bought with money according to the value of the income from the benefice. It is pitiful to think that the church had fallen into such a deplorable state, but at the time, these dealings were so common and matter of fact that no one noticed how adversely they were affecting the church of Christ.

This state of affairs became worse because once a benefice was bought, be it a parish or a diocese, it was not necessary for the beneficiary even to be there once a substitute was found to take care of it. The person with the title received the gross income minus the little owed to the person taking care of the benefice. The title holder, as was in the case of Gaetano, did not even have to be ordained! The picture looked foggy but there were rays of light clearing it because not all these absentee beneficiaries were profiteers. There were those who balanced their absence from their parishes, churches or dioceses with important donations. As regards Gaetano’s benefice of the parish of Malo, it was a different question altogether because even though he visited once in a while, he never took a penny for himself from the parish income. It all went to the pastor, and more came out of Gaetano's pockets for the needy of the parish. Because of such acts, during the process of Canonization, the Malo parishioners never called him Gaetano Thiene but the 'Saint in waiting'.

While being in the midst of all this, noticing everything and seeing the hand of God on the church even in this storm, Gaetano felt the first urges to reform his church and give its ministers the dignity needed inside and outside the walls of the temple. It is a little early to mention the Order of Regular Clerics that he would found with others, but at this moment in his life we may be sure that the seed of reform was sown deep in his soul. The first biographers of Gaetano all agree that at this time he was mentioning to those around him: "If God would give me the grace to find three or four people ready to live like the apostles in the observance of the Gospel, we could lead, in the Church of God, the reform desired by everyone".

In Rome there was a small cenacle of priests and lay people who frequently went to Mass and received the Eucharist, prayed together and performed charitable deeds. This was the 'Divino Amore' group or 'Confraternity of Divine Love' which had been founded in 1494, (when Gaetano was still fourteen), by Bernardino da Feltre. As members it had people like Jacopo Sodoleto secretary to Popes, and Gian Pietro Carafa bishop of Chieti and future pope Paul IV. This confraternity was started in Genova through the efforts of the noble Caterina Fieschi Adorno, a future saint. Gaetano was convinced that through groups like 'Divino Amore', lay people could effect good deeds in the world around them. So he started attending this group and found his niche right away, becoming involved to the point of advertising the group wherever he could. He started traveling, attending the group in the cities where it existed, and where it did not, he took it upon himself to found a new one. The entry of Gaetano in the group 'Divino Amore' was important insofar as it made him realize his call to Holy Orders and the need for him to lead the laity through the storm that was descending from the north, that is the erroneous teaching of the Protestants.

Though later when he became a priest he could not still share his life closely with the ‘Divino Amore’ group, he still followed their progress and encouraged them so that their fervour would not be extinguished. In fact he wrote from Venice on the 17th June 1541 to the brethren of the Company of St.Jerome in Vicenza: "It is to my great satisfaction that God chose you particularly from so many other Christians, and that He gave you such dignity in trusting to you so great a project that you should take care of your sick and feeble brethren and that you perform other spiritual acts of virtue. But I exhort you for the Father's sake, to show respect and honour in these acts the same way you want God to show you respect and honour. Dear brothers, if you really want to console me, do your utmost so that everyone might realize that the act of curing the sick is good and is driven by your charity, and that your deeds are serving as a light and goodness in that enslaved city".

As for his physical way of life, he was again doing his best to live in a humble way. His lodgings were just an empty room with a table and chair and his mattress a sack of hay. But he did not forget to do exactly like he wrote and advised others to do, because he took every opportunity to visit and console the poor and sick and serve them with his own hands. With all this charitable work to be done, he felt hindered by his work at the Vatican, so he sought permission to leave his position so he could realize his spiritual dream.

Priesthood - A Vision

The new pope, Leo X, was all set to give magnificence to the church (be it only external), accepted Don Gaetano's resignation although reluctantly because he was going to lose a precious element close to him. Released from his Vatican duties, Don Gaetano increased his charitable activities and this is witnessed by a certain Enrico Danese: "He was exemplary, chaste, humble and merciful, full of every kindness towards the sick. He fed, served and took care of them in person. Regarding his room, it was poor; a meager sack of hay together with a cushion on which he used to rest; a small table and bench with some leaflets and a figure made out of paper. His clothes were roughly woven with white socks and pants Venetian style..."

He was ordained priest on the 30th Sept. 1516, the feast of St.Jerome and there he 'bound his life to the cros'. From his contact with the members of 'Divino Amore' he had become convinced that humility must begin with the priest, so he did not celebrate his first Mass till Epiphany of 1517, after three months of deep prayer, but once he started, he never missed a day, which was not the custom for many priests those days. His first Mass was at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore on the altar of the Nativity chapel. This might throw a light upon his devotion towards the Nativity Scene culminating in a vision the next year and blossoming into his now famous 'Presepio' or Nativity crib in later life. Now that Don Gaetano had become a priest, he felt he had duties to manage, especially among the poor and sick. Don Gaetano admirably assisted the sick of San Giacomo hospital both physically and spiritually, but together with his brethren from 'Divino Amore', Don Gaetano knew and saw how many sick, (so sick that they were deemed incurable), were wandering aimlessly in the city, shunned by everyone. He persuaded his brethren some of whom had contacts high up in society, to help surmount obstacles and transform San Giacomo from a common hospital into one for incurables. They did not advertise the services given to the derelict sick but these were truly appreciated. We cannot include everything about the fire of love with which the first year of Gaetano's priesthood was filled, but the gift that he received on Christmas eve of 1517 has to be mentioned. He was praying at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, precisely in the chapel of the Holy Crib where it is said there are some relics of the Holy Manger, when he moved his arms towards the image of Mary with the Child Jesus. Something incredible happened: The Virgin Mother placed on his outstretched arms "that tender Child, flesh of the Eternal Word". This extraordinary fact we know happened from one of Gaetano's letters written a month later to Sister Laura Mignani from Brescia, a woman of great trust and of whom Gaetano and other brethren priests had become spiritual children. These are the words Gaetano used to describe his vision: "....I boldly found myself, at the time of the Holy Nativity, in this crib; to give me courage I had with me St.Jerome my father, who had the crib so close to his heart and whose remains were placed at the entrance of the same crib; and with a little bit of encouragement from the old man (St. Joseph), from the hands of the Virgin Mary, I took into my arms that little Baby: the Eternal Word Who became flesh. My heart was really hard, you must believe me, because if it were not as hard as a diamond, it was sure to liquefy at that moment... patience...".

On Don Gaetano's own words, we also know that the vision repeated itself in the feast of Our Lord’s circumcision and again at the Epiphany. For this he was so grateful and he braced himself for "the endless war against the plague of the three enemies: the flesh, the world and the devil; which can be beaten with the help of the Cross".

Nowadays in the Crypt beneath the Blessed Sacrament Chapel of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, there is a statue opposite the altar, the image of San Gaetano holding the Holy Child, and it is by Bernini. This crypt was arranged as a reproduction of the cave in Bethlehem from as early as the 7th century. The Christmas crib here is one of the finest in the world, with statuettes made by Arnolfo de Cambio around 1289. St.Jerome, Doctor of the Church and translator of the Bible into Latin in the 4th century, is buried here. He lived as a hermit next to the cave in Bethlehem, and it was thought fitting to preserve his relics here, in the 'Bethlehem of Rome'. St.Ignatius of Loyola offered his first Mass at the altar in the crypt. The front of this altar is by Vassalettis. The sculpture of the Nativity is from the 15th century. The crypt is not always open to the public but it is possible to see some of it if you look over the balustrade.

Vicenza, Venice and Padova

Don Gaetano's mother, being sick, asked her priest son to visit her. He had not been there for a visit for the previous thirteen years. We know that during his student years in Padova, he had visited only once, and that time for only three days. During his second return to Vicenza, Don Gaetano assisted his sick mother until she died in his arms in September 1520. After some shedding of tears, he had some important duties to attend to. His brother Gianbattista had passed away and that made Gaetano the sole surviving member of the family with a thousand things to settle. It took awhile but in the end he cleared everything up by paying all outstanding family debts and securing a dowry for his young niece. He gave what was left to the cousins. For himself he kept some small tracts of land and we will even see how he disposed of these!

Until things got done, which time it took three years, Don Gaetano did not live in Thiene palace but in a room at the hospital where he was close to the sick and where he could readily immerse himself in their physical and spiritual welfare. There was in Vicenza an association similar to the 'Divino Amore' which took care of the sick both in hospital and at home and as soon as he discovered its existence, Don Gaetano became a member and donated the pieces of land of his inheritance mentioned earlier, to the group. The members appreciated these concrete gifts, but being lay people they appreciated more the religious instruction and the great example of dedication that Gaetano showed. The charity of Don Gaetano during this period is testified by a declaration made by the leader of the group: "... he did not want to stop giving away his belongings to the needy until he ended up in such poverty that he did not have any land left even just enough for his burial or even a penny to pay for his funeral".

His stay in Vicenza was interrupted by a few months' sojurn at Verona where the company of San Siro could be found. This group was on the lines of 'Divino Amore', but here the members were important figures of the Veronese society and some of them were priests. Even so they welcomed Don Gaetano's experience and humility, and his sincere spontaneous nature opened all doors. He signed the act of admission to the San Siro group thus: "Gaetano Thiene, lowly priest accepted as the least brother of these saintly companions". He was particularly keen that the Veronese build a hospital for incurables, in fact when the time came for him to return to Vicenza, the hospital was a reality.

But he was destined never to stay in one place for too long. Invitations started to come in from Venice where the inhabitants had heard about his virtues and organizational skills in Verona and Vicenza. At first he felt he was incompetent to work in a cosmopolitan environment such as Venice, but in March 1521 someone told him: "Christ waits and no one is moving", and he overcame his doubts and fears and set out for Venice. There Don Gaetano stayed two years, enough though to give life to two institutions, one of 'Divino Amore' and a hospital for incurables, deemed by the government of Venice to be of national interest. The hospital was so appreciated that those of the nobility were trying to outdo each other in their help.

But he was shunned by those who knew him, who thought his action was a reflection on his family. Permission was granted to the hospital administration to issue an order for all incurably sick or at least gravely ill, to enter the hospital. The problem was that since many sick were incredulous, Don Gaetano had to go through the city streets and hovels spotting them, and after that fervently imploring them and inspiring trust in them to follow him to the hospital. He himself did not have a specific task because actually he was the director, but he behaved more like a nurse! He was so happy that the sick were being treated like real people who had proper names and were being made to feel important to society. In 1522, from Venice, he wrote to Bartolomeo Sciani, a friend of his, about his experience of the Church in Rome: ".. so beautiful in itself but a prostitute in its ministers".

Padova too was blessed with a hospital for incurables. Since the Venice hospital was still in its early stages regarding organization, Don Gaetano had to stay awhile longer, but he soon sent one of his close assistants Girolamo da Solana, a Spaniard, to Padova where he was able to start both a hospital and also open a branch of 'Divino Amore'. Coordinating the wills, actions and even financial commitment of so many generous persons, Don Gaetano succeeded in giving four cities hospitals for the incurably sick.

Vicenza, Venice and Padova were not enough for Don Gaetano. From Rome came the news that a new spiritual awakening had started. Adrian VI the new Pope was not Italian, but known for his simple life and rigid customs, he made it clear that reform and changes in the church were in dire need. The pomp of court; the magnificence of churches; feasts whose secular elements eclipsed the spiritual; music and poems composed in honor of a triumphant church and the actual charity that flowed from the pockets of popes and prelates, were all elements which without doubt pleased the people and helped to make them come to church. But their worth in building the religious sentiment and the faith of the same population was in great doubt. With Adrian VI everything started to change and one of the first actions of his reign was to fill each position of benefice with a priest for the religious instruction of the people, not vice versa, that is giving a benefice to each priest. This was a pope ready to implement radical changes, but sadly he passed away too soon. In fact, only a few understood him and instead of crying his demise, the population broke out in a manifestation of joy and abandon at his death. This showed that the flock had been led with too much tolerance for too long.

At the end of 1523, Gaetano took his pilgrim's cane and set out of Venice in the direction of Rome. As soon as he arrived there after the arduous journey on foot, he embraced his 'Divino Amore' brothers who in the meantime had increased in numbers. Among the new entries Don Gaetano cherished and esteemed the young priest Bonifacio de Colli, doctor at law and of exemplary character.

Rome - A new Order

As soon as Don Gaetano arrived back in Rome, he plunged right into his routine at the hospital of incurables as if he had never been absent. He had been away for five years, meanwhile Don Bonifacio de Colli stood by, imitating him with zeal and generosity. This was how the two got to know each other better, finding that they both had similar ideas about bringing the clergy to a simpler and holier life in line with the gospels. From here the next step was to form a new Order based on traditional commitments to poverty, obedience and chastity, and this soon came to fruition.

Their order of Clerics Regular would combine the spirit of monasticism with the exercises of an active ministry. It would have the primary intention of instituting a communal life among the priests of the Cathedrals and parishes until they could work more efficiently to reform the customs of the clergy and christian laity. These two priests did not realize, given their humility, that they had the power to rebut protestant preaching. At the time all they had in mind was to set off an alarm and be a call to those immersing themselves in this danger.

The first decision had to be taken by someone else. Gianpietro Carafa at that time was Bishop of Theati (Chieti) and Archbishop of Brindisi but resident in Rome (another case of absentee clergy in the affliction of the church of those times), but he did not abuse his position, in fact he suffered because of it, having at heart the welfare of souls. Carafa, future Cardinal and then Pope, was to be the right arm of Don Gaetano and play an important part in the development of the order that was to be born. This new order would be called the Theatine order after the name of the city where Carafa, its first Superior General, had his Diocese. They were clergy bound by vows to restore a proper apostolic life, study the Scriptures and Christian doctrine, devote proper attention to the liturgy, preaching and pastoral care. All of them had deeply regretted the state of the Church of that time, and with ardor they devoted themselves to preaching, to the administration of the sacraments and the careful execution of the Church's rites and liturgy.

Draft rules were written on the base of which were the three well known vows with the added weight of their poverty being total. Don Gaetano went even further than St.Francis of Assisi. The latter recommended his religious to live from the alms they received, but the Franciscans could ask for alms. Gaetano also wanted his religious to live by means of alms, but he forbade them to ask for them. The gifts had to come voluntarily from the people. When the Theatines needed something, they could not ask for it, but had to remain as they were until someone came of one's own volition to supply the need, this having its basis in Christ's words about the birds of the air not sowing, reaping or gathering grains and the Father in heaven feeding them. It was to this poverty article that the Vatican objected when the list of rules was presented for affirmation. To the church authorities it seemed that this group of up and coming young priests were trying to force God's hand to perform miracles for them. In the end, after numerous modifications, the 'brief' of approval was issued. The members of this new Order were granted their wish to declare their vows publicly, live together dressed in clerical habit, call themselves the Order of 'Priests Regular' under Apostolic protection, elect a superior and admit other members of any level to profess their vows after a novitiate of one year.

With another brief to Carafa on the same day, the Pope accepted the former's resignation from both his dioceses but established that Carafa be still called bishop with the capability of exercising pontifical functions but being excused from other obligations not in line with the new state he was going to embrace especially regarding the vow of poverty.

In this way the small group renounced all earthly belongings in front of a notary and accepted a house previously belonging to Bonifacio de Colli as their residence. The foundation took place on the 3rd May, the feast of the Finding of the Holy Cross, 1524. and the Order was approved on the 24th of the next month by Clement VII in the Brief 'Exponi Nobis'. On 14 Sept., feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Don Gaetano and his companions made a solemn profession before the papal altar of St.Peter's, Rome, and to commemorate his love towards Jesus' Holy Cross, Gaetano consecrated his order to it and adopted it as the emblem. This profession was done in the presence of Mgr.Giovanni Battista Bonziano, Bishop of Caserta, the special papal delegate for the occasion. It is said that the bishop arrived quite late and the church had meantime filled up with people all curious to know what was to happen and wanting to see the four courageous men who were about to renounce their comforts in life to embrace a life of poverty and pain. So humility this time was side lined to make their profession really public and solemn.

"EXPONI NOBIS": Original brief (24 JUNE 1524)

1. - Aim and intention of the foundation

"You, guided by God, wishing to peacefully serve and closely unite with him, are determined to submit to the three essential votes of poverty, chastity and obedience, to live together in clerical life, with the common habit of the clergy, to live in common and in common good and dedicate yourselves with humility and devotion to the service of God with the aid of His grace, under our immediate subjection and special protection and that of the Apostolic Seat. For that reason you have requested these your desires to us which we approve with our authority, and we pray that Divine Providence will help you in the accomplishment of your project.

2. - Approval.

We, who willingly approve the good desires of Christians, praise your project heartily, and, acceding to your pleas, we authorize you that, when you deem fit:

3. - Dispositions.

a) you choose to confer the three substantial votes of religious life, of poverty, chastity and obedience, and to profess solemnly into your order any secular or regular presbyter of any order;

b) to live together in the religious or secular places that you agree upon, or allow their proprietors, living in common and in common good, with the habit of simple clergymen and the name and denomination of regular Clergymen, under our immediate subjection and special protection and that of the Apostolic Seat;

c) to choose every year from amongst you, a superior who must be called provost, and elected for only three years;

d) to receive amongst you other secular clergymen of any kind, and also lay persons that, called by God, want to embrace this system of life, and, after a year of probation, to admit them to the profession of vows in front of your provost, into your own system of life;

e) to compose and to publish any statutes, arrangements and constitutions concerning that system of life and to the proper organization of your clerical life, and, once composed and published, to correct them and to reform them at any time, or to change them totally, or to make other new ones and adjust existing ones partially;

f) and, importantly, regarding the celebration and divine recitation of the Mass and other offices, modifications are allowed, proving that they are honest, reasonable and in agreement to moral convention and the Sacred Canon.

All of them, once composed, published, reformed, established, changed and ordered, and presented or displayed to Us or to our successors, will be approved and confirmed by Apostolic authority, and as such must be considered.

4. - Privileges.

With total deliberation and using the fullness of our Apostolic authority, we concede for all time, to you as to your successors, whom you accept, to serve and to enjoy, for all your communities and convents, all and each one of the privileges, spiritual and temporal exemptions, immunities, indulgences, faculties, liberties, authorizations, privileges, favors, concessions and graces that the Regular Canons of the Lateran congregation will enjoy and have .

The Church of his day:

The Church in 1523 was in sad shape. People could not get the spiritual nourishment they needed from the large numbers of uneducated priests some of which were even immoral. They took their money but returned nothing, not even a little food for their souls. When good priests and lay people turned to their leaders for help, they found them at best apathetic and indifferent to their concerns.

How could a good Catholic respond to such a situation? We all known how Luther and others responded -- by splitting away from the Catholic Church when their pleas went unheard. The Rome of those days was the centre not only of religion but also of art and culture but these latter pursuits had overshadowed the main goal of the church. With the excuse of embellishing the churches with art, liturgy and deep conviction were put to one side and a new era of paganism started creeping into the church. The prime fault was of the Roman Prelates and clergy with the rest of the faithful following suit.

We usually talk about the Reformation being started by Martin Luther and others, and also about the Counter Reformation being started within the church to return to the observance of the old basic principles. It is more proper to talk about a Protestant Schism and a Reformation of the church which from those days started to be called Catholic. This Catholic Reformation was a strong reaffirmation of the doctrine and structure of the Catholic Church, climaxing in the Council of Trent, partly reacting to the growth of Protestantism. We know that one of the causes of the decadence of the Middle Ages was the decadence and incompetence of most members of the clergy, caused by their unbalanced attachment to wealth. The clergy had become extremely rich and attached to their luxurious lifestyle. They assumed a life of pride and human grandeur. Now, according to the Catholic spirit, Bishops and Cardinals are supposed to have the material conditions for a distinguished lifestyle to signify their elevated dignity. They are ecclesiastical princes and they do merit this. In Germany a Bishop was called His Spiritual Highness. It is good, legitimate and correct to address a Prelate like this, and it is good that he should have a high status. But it is one thing is to have what is necessary to sustain the dignity of the position and another to be attached to the material goods that accompany such status. This kind of attachment is totally wrong.

This decadence could be found even at the head of the church itself. During the time Gaetano was living, families in Italy such as the Colonnas, Medicis, Borgias and others, vied with each other to produce candidates for the Papacy. On the other hand, once a Pope from one of these families was elected, many times nepotism was the norm, heaping of benefices on family and creating new cardinals out of members of next of kin. We find, during these times, that many Popes were related to each other and we can find many an uncle or nephew on the seat of Peter. The interest in secular things was also common, with Popes taking care of art in the church buildings more than catering for souls. To top it all, Italy was not yet whole and the Popes acted as temporal leaders with the exact function of ruling the Papal States. This they did with relish, some of them dealing in politics or joining unions of states to fight against others. There was even one who led his armies himself in wars to consolidate the Papal possessions. But not all was wrong with the Popes of the time. We find that their charity, knowledge of spiritual subjects and work against schismatic trends were at times exemplary.

At the birth of Gaetano, Pope Sixtus IV was in power and though we may know him as the one who commissioned Michaelangelo to paint the Sistine chapel, his wars and treachery and his promoting the wrong people to high office in the church, blemish his career as Pontiff. On the other hand he took measures to suppress abuses in the Inquisition, built bridges across the Tiber, improved the sanitary conditions of the city of Rome and most important of all vigorously opposed the first protestant teachings.

Gaetano had acquired his degrees at law when he found a position as secretary or protonotary to the Pope Julius II who appreciated the prowess of our Saint and must have set a good example to Gaetano by attending Mass almost daily and often celebrating it himself. He was also free from nepotism even though he himself was the nephew of Sixtus IV. Like his uncle before him he was patron of the arts. He also made various ordinances for monastic reforms and convoked the Fifth Lateran Council to eradicate abuses within the Church and especially from within the Roman Curia. Some point out his early life and his fathering of three daughters and others comment that he was more suitable as a soldier with his ambition to free the whole of Italy from its subjection to foreign powers. But we may be sure that his dealings with our Gaetano were of positive influence.

When Leo X became pope, his life was in a way in sharp contrast with the one Gaetano was leading. He was of the Medici family and was only thirty eight when he succeeded Julius II. He paid no attention to the dangers threatening the Papacy but gave himself up unrestrainedly to amusements and failed to grasp fully the duties of his high office. He created new offices and dignities and the most exalted places were put up for sale. In spite of all this he was lavish in works of charity, unfeignedly religious and strictly fulfilled his spiritual duties. He celebrated Mass and read his Breviary daily and fasted three times a week. The Lateran Council, continued by Leo was nearing its close, having issued numerous and very timely decrees, so comparison of his life with Gaetano’s is quite difficult to make.

It was during the reign of Pope Clement VII that the political and religious situation of of the Church and of the city of Rome was one of extreme delicacy. Francis I and the Emperor Charles V were at war and the political involvement of the Papacy had led to the sacking of Rome by German troops. These were hard times in the life of Gaetano as we can see in the next chapter. After his close shave in his rush to safety, Clement went for a while to Orvieto and Viterbo, then returned to Rome where terms favourable to the Holy See were definitely arranged with Charles V of Spain who was solemnly crowned by Clement. In all this, one would see in this Pope, feeble diplomacy and a Pope far from heroic for his people. But in the more ecclesiastical aspects of his pontificate Clement was free from reproach and genuinely in earnest over a crusade against the Turks. He gave much encouragement to foreign missions. This reign also saw the problem of Henry VIII forcing the Church in England to break from Catholic unity because of his wish to divorce Anne Boleyn.

Pope Clement VII had constituted a commission with full powers chaired by Cardinal Gilberti and with Bishop Carafa as a member since he had gained a lot of experience within the Theatine order and its front-line activities. This commission did not expect to clean up the mess overnight, but at least it obtained some changes for the better, like thorough study courses at higher level for those to be ordained, strangers of unknown character could no longer be ordained for the payment of a sum of money and also, priests had to tone down the appearance of their clothes and smarten up by shaving the huge beards that had come into fashion. The commission also took care of the problem of absentee pastors and Bishops and even of worse problems like a person having the commission of a Bishop without being ordained even in the Minor Orders.

It was Pope Paul III who lost no time in setting about the most needed reforms. Piety and zeal, which had characterized him after he was ordained priest, caused men to overlook the extravagance of his earlier years. In the constantly recurring quarrels between Francis and Charles, he preserved a strict neutrality. It was he who in 1545 when the disastrous wars between Charles and Francis ended, energetically took up the project of convening the Ecumenical council of Trent. Though Gaetano was in the last two years of his life and had his own problems fighting the protestants in Naples, the news of what was going on in the Council sessions must have been balm for his soul. In seven sessions, the last on the 3rd March 1547 (the year the death of our Saint), the Fathers faced the most important questions of faith and discipline. Catholic doctrine on the Scriptures, original sin, justification, and the Sacraments.

At the Council, Carafa, now Cardinal, had an important part. The ideas he carried forward into the council were nothing but the culmination of the principles of Don Gaetano who had started the Order of Clerics Regular for the express purpose of reform within the Church. But the Council was half ended, when the outbreak of the plague in Trent caused an adjournment to Bologna, then on the 21st April, the Pope prorogued the council indefinitely.

The Council of Trent was held in discontinuous sessions between 1545 and 1563. It clearly specified Catholic doctrines on salvation, the sacraments and the Biblical canon, in opposition to the Protestants, and standardized the Mass throughout the church, largely abolishing local variations; this came to be called the 'Tridentine Mass', (after Trent). From a doctrinal and disciplinary point of view, it was the most important council in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, fixing her distinctive faith and practice in relation to the Protestant Evangelical churches.

The Sacking of Rome

The first half of the 1500's is marked by the clash between the greater European powers for supremacy. With the acquisition of the Spanish dominions, the huge empire of Charles V had become dangerous for France. In order to continue the fight, after the defeat of Pavia, an alliance was formed with a series of smaller states like Venice, Florence and the Papal States. The latter endured the consequences with the imperial mercenary troops of the Landsknecht (German for 'servants of the country') heading for Rome, with the vision of fabulous booty, looting all the towns on the way.

What happened in Rome had been preceded by political turmoil. Although the city had seen the signs of this impending disaster coming for a long time, the conflagration caught the population unprepared, but no one could have imagined the extent and harshness of the calamity. The 30.000 Landsknecht troops stood poised on Mount Mario, a hill overlooking Rome, and their leader started inciting them for the coming pillage quoting that there was no richer city on earth to plunder as Rome and how it lay there at their feet for the taking. According to historians, in that spring of 1527, there were approximately 90.000 inhabitants in Rome and only a few lucky people had had the fortune to escape since the Pope had ordered everyone to remain in place. The rich tried to hide their money and precious belongings, and those with young girls in the family tried to find a convent in order to put them in a place of relative safety; the optimists barricaded themselves in their houses and some even started to round up able bodied fighting men with the intention of being able to defend their households. At the dawn of the 6th of May the Imperial army closed ranks and moved down, protected by fog. The onslaught was found to be more difficult than thought by their leaders, but the breaching of the walls and influx of soldiers happened so quickly that the Pope heard the shouts of the invaders while he was still in the apostolic palace. The fighting itself had already reached St.Peter's Square. The Pope, Clement VII decided to place himself in front of the altar thinking that if he had to die, he would rather die a martyr. But the Monsignors of the Curia and the Cardinals forcibly dragged him away. The fighting had already reached the door of Castle Sant' Angelo and if they had been slower to fetch his Holiness, they would not have made it to the security of the castle. They gathered some provisions in a rush and practically ran through the corridor that leads to the castle. (For those who do not know, the Pope's quarters near St.Peter's Basilica, overlooking St.Peter's square, are connected with Castel Sant' Angelo with a high wall on top of which is a covered corridor. This was built for such emergencies and is still standing nowadays). In order that the enemy might not recognize the white vestments of the Pope, a bishop placed his cape on the shoulders of Clement VII.

At that point Castel Sant' Angelo was already crowded and there reigned an indescribable confusion. Nevertheless before evening no less than three thousand people were barricaded inside, not counting the Cardinals and the Papal court. Then they realized that there were neither provisions nor munitions and they had to make do with the little they could get from plundering some houses and warehouses nearby. A real crowd was gathering seeking access to the castle including gentlemen of the nobility, ladies and merchants. Cardinal Pucci was lucky to enter because a domestic servant pushed him up through a window when he was already half dead from the blows he had received. Cardinal Armellini only made it in because they hoisted him up in a basket and pulled him in through a window after the door had already been locked and barred.

Rome was in the hands of the invaders, who decided to inflict a memorable lesson to the corrupt city, like the Lutherans had preached. It is enough to say that it ended in twelve days of sacking, murder and mayhem that nearly reduced the city to a cemetery. The carnage and sacking ended completely eight months later only because of a plague epidemic forcing the imperial troops to abandon the city. There were, by now less than 30.000 survivors. The Theatines were also affected by this upheaval caused by the German troops. Daily offerings of food to the community were sporadic and there came a day when Don Gaetano divided the only loaf available into fourteen morsels (there were two visitors) but none complained, with the thought that there were many in the city doing without even that miserly bite. But even though Don Gaetano believed that the Lord always provided, he was not deluded. The only movement in the city was that of the military wagons full of the spoils of war, hastily laden, sometimes spilling some contents. It is easy to imagine how the famished few that were left, jumped from the shadows to pick the scraps up. Some of this could have even been taken to the poor priests in the house on the hilltop, this small providential reprieve keeping the company alive. In Jesus' life we meet with both Simon the Cyrene and Judas Iscariot. We have just met the 'Simons' in Don Gaetano's life during this difficult time, but he also had his 'Judas'. A family servant from the Thiene household who even knew Gaetano as a child, found himself in Rome during this dreary time. He still imagined that Gaetano had all the family inheritance, and in a plan to be on the good side of the foreign oppressor, he guided a few soldiers to the 'rich' house on the hilltop that they had missed in their forays. When they entered they were faced with the extreme poverty of the place, but the cleanliness and order made them doubt if there was still hidden money to be had. Don Gaetano gave one sad look to the ex-servant and explained that all he had he had given to the poor and the only riches he had remaining were those of the Spirit of God. The soldiers laid their hands on Don Gaetano and his companions and commenced torturing them. They unclothed Don Gaetano and tied his ankles to a heavy trunk, then tying a long rope under his arms and throwing the end over a beam in the ceiling, they amused themselves pulling him up and suddenly releasing the rope. He endured it all with patience trusting in the Providence of God. The others were similarly tortured and spat upon until their tormentors tired of the entertainment, left. For Don Gaetano the physical pain did not feel as grave as the assault on his purity, even so he exhorted his fellows to bear the suffering they were going through for the love of God. He even prayed God to pardon their tormentors as Christ did on the Cross. It was not over even after the German soldiers left because it was the Spaniards' turn to look for money. When they did not find any, they took the priests prisoners to an improvised jail in Piazza di Spagna. In this location, the Theatines prayed all day long and this bothered their jailers who took them over to the Vatican and locked them up in the clock tower close to their captain's quarters. This man had the idea not to feed them that they might be forced to tell him where they hid their 'money'. They, in turn, full of holy zeal, forgot the pangs of hunger by singing praises to the Lord. The jailers in this location, heard them and laughed, but their colonel happened to hear them too while he was a dinner guest of the captain. He wanted to see them and was deeply touched by their plight and soon wrote out the order for their release. The Theatines, then twelve in number, were liberated. Yes, now they were free, but with no roof over their heads since their house in Rome had been ransacked and wrecked and they were in a half deserted city without a penny in their pockets! They agreed to go to Venice where there was a group of 'Divino Amore' and where they thought they would be more welcome. There was also the hospital for the incurables where they could resume their charitable ministry. So, with the help of Agostino da Mula they set out to Civitavecchia and from there to Venice.

Starting afresh in Venice

During his previous three year stay In Venice, Don Gaetano had spread 'light and fragrance' there, so when he arrived with his friends, the Venetians remembered and so welcomed him and his flock back with joy and respect, and not in words only but in deed.

The Venetians knew the Theatines were poor by vocation, but they appreciated them more after they heard what they had gone through in Rome. They had reached Venice on the 17th June 1527. Like a band of refugees, they could not find a place to settle right away. First it was at San Clemente, then at Santa Euphemia then San Gregorio and by the Grand Canal at Santa Maria della Salute. At San Gregorio they had their Chapter meeting on the 14th September to elect a new superior in place of Carafa whose three year term had passed. Don Gaetano was elected on the 29th November, then they started building a small oratory right away with the alms they were given. They also succeeded in buying the adjacent land for a new church and convent which they dedicated to San Nicola di Tolentino. They left the design in the hands of Vincenzo Scamozzi. This became the order's definite residence in Venice.

Here one could see that if their private life was ruled by the vow of total poverty, the Theatines thought otherwise about the house of God. "Let the house be meager, poor the cell, scarce the food and torn the clothes, but rich and ornate the church" - these were the precise words of Don Gaetano. They also hadn't even entered their new home and prepared it when they were already taking care of the sick in hospital which they rebuilt and renamed 'The New Hospital'. At the same time Gaetano was working spiritually to counter the heresies which were rampant around them. When the plague hit the city during 1527 - 1528, Gaetano and his band did great work with the sick. It was here at this time that people started calling him 'The Saint of Divine Providence'.

Following the war against Charles V, a terrible famine fell on Veneto. In the city, the Venetians suffered but it was worse in the rural areas where people were dying of hunger. The government of the Republic of Venice took all the necessary steps but could not hold the hungry rural masses from invading the city of Venice asking for food. This situation made the Theatine charity not only shine as usual but brought their organizational skills to the forefront. Money came from Girolamo Emiliani. He was not actually a Theatine as such because he did not take the vows of poverty but allowed himself to be formed by the norms of Don Gaetano. In fact Girolamo Emiliani branched out from the Theatine order and later specialized in the education of orphans and children in general starting another order of the Somaschi and like Don Gaetano become a Saint.

The Theatine example of life attracted more recruits and the way Don Gaetano accepted members can be seen from the denial of entry into the order of the Veronese senator Flaminio who asked for relaxation of the rules in his case because he suffered from ill health. Instead of him, Don Gaetano accepted a certain ascetic Bernardo of Todi nicknamed Bernardone because of his huge stature. This character used to roam the streets of Veneto armed with a huge cross and preaching the gospel in the squares in his own rough way because he did not have either culture or a precise rule of life. He had stopped in Venice and wanted to meet Don Gaetano who at once noticed that the intentions of this person were genuine. He told him to stop moving around and do something more constructive. At first he did not obey, but after coming back a few times, at last he said "Don Gaetano, take me in with you and teach me how to carry the real cross not this useless wooden load." Don Gaetano accepted him whole heartedly and Bernardone became so humble, ready to serve and untiring, that when Carafa became Pope Paul IV, he took him to the Vatican to serve as his personal chamber man. In this position he was supposed to wear a silk alb but he asked for and was permitted to wear his old discoloured Theatine habit. When the Pope died, he went back to the convent and resumed with joy and simplicity, the old rigorous life of the Theatine order.

It is obvious that not all those who entered the order, as years went by, had the same education and culture of the first four members, but the institution placed subjects like Theology at the top of the curriculum, so it is safe to say that ample time was allotted for study. The Theatines appreciated culture and justly taught it. It was Carafa himself who wanted those who aspired for Holy Orders to be at least well versed in a course of grammar, and those on their way to become Bishops, to have passed through a series of exams adequate to the importance of the position.

On top of these general norms was added a specific fact, the daily use of the breviary. With the wish for reform came the revision, revamping and modification of this important book, a task given by the Pope and willingly accepted by the Theatines. The breviary was considered by the laity as the priests' prayer book, but it also contains lessons, homilies and commemorations which help in the work of preaching. After a number of modifications it was submitted to the Pope, but it took till after the conclusion of the Council of Trent for it to be implemented in the whole universal church. Don Gaetano was all the time working behind the scenes in projects such as this, and many of his ideas were developed afterwards by others.

Don Gaetano remained in Veneto until 1533, founding, assisting and consolidating all the houses of his new order together with the connected hospitals, churches and works of charity.

Naples

One could ask why, after the tempest of the sacking of Rome and nearly everything back to normal, the Theatines who had worked so well there were not called back! It must have been the disturbed consciences of many in Rome that kept the citizens of this city from realizing that they would have been far better with the presence of Don Gaetano's order. The call which did not come from Rome, came instead from Naples, at first from private citizens having heard of all the good works done in Venice and offering all the help needed. Then a call went out from the authorities in the person of the Viceroy of Spain himself, Don Pedro di Toledo, an old friend of Carafa, and it was difficult for the Theatines to refuse since this time the request was also endorsed by the Pope himself.

So on the 2nd of August 1533, Don Gaetano and Don Giovanni Marinoni (another splendid Theatine figure who could blend asceticism with activism and who would later become a priest himself), set out on foot for Naples. By the middle of the month they reached Rome and sought an audience with the Pope. Their haggard appearance, dusty clothes and faces showed what they were going through, and Clement VII understood, but he let these words slip "And where are you going, to your death my children in all this heat?" to which Don Gaetano answered "Your Holiness has ordered us, and we are not afraid to die because we do not want to be disobedient." The Pope, visibly admiring them, blessed them and let them go. They in turn, after a few days rest at the hospital of the incurables, resumed their way to Naples.

There exists in Naples, a large crucifix which Gaetano is said to have carried with him all the way from Venice to Rome and from there to Naples.

The city of Naples, in those days was governed by the Viceroy Don Pedro de Toledo representing Charles V of Spain. To keep stability and peace, the Spaniards bestowed upon the Neapolitan nobility, great benefices, but the population was living in poverty and misery.The promises of hospitality were kept and the Count of Oppido who was one of the nobility in favour of bringing the Theatines to Naples, had prepared for them a comfortable house. Since the two Theatines realized that the spiritual harvest was rich, they called for another six of their brothers to come and join them. The Count had offered Don Gaetano and his friends a life of luxury which they of course refused, and he, marveling at their noble spirit, insisted and gave them enough riches to live a comfortable life, but this the Theatines distributed among the poor of the city. Again and again they were given material comforts which they gave up every time in favour of the needy. Count Oppido was a generous Christian but could not understand the principle of living in total poverty within God's Providence, the norm of the Theatines wherever they went.

He expected a community to have at least a modest but secure income not live from day to day. Don Gaetano refused to bend, time and again, until one day the Count presented himself in the company of some priests who were supposed to give him a hand convincing the Theatines to accept the donations. After a long discussion with the priests and many other such encounters after that still on the same subject, there came a time when Don Gaetano herded his companions out of the house, locked the doors behind them and gave the keys to the Count that he might understand!

Their activities never varied: study and prayer at home; meticulous care of the church given in their custody; the priests among them always available for confession and the celebration of Mass for the faithful. Here they not only respected the letter of the Liturgy in its various forms and functions, but also delivered sermons which moved the hardest hearts in the congregations and little by little added to the numbers attending church. Where the Theatines failed in Naples was at the hospital of the incurables which existed here too. Naturally they wanted to help the sick here as they had done in other cities, but in Naples they were rebuffed by the administration who had lots to lose since the members were doing little for the sick but a lot for their own gain.

A story is told about the order around this time in Naples. One of the Theatines, a new convert, was given a task when he fell and fractured a leg. He was medicated with the means available in those days but to no avail, his leg developing a weeping wound with the obvious signs of development into gangrene. The doctor's decision was to amputate and he promised to bring the necessary tools and an assistant with him the next day. But Don Gaetano knew of another Doctor who used neither medicine nor surgical tools, so he called his company of brethren to kneel around the patient in prayer, then before leaving, the saintly priest knelt down again and kissed the festering wound. The next day, the doctor, on entering with his tools and assistant, had to unbelievably admit that the leg needed nothing because it was in perfect shape even as it was before the accident occurred. If Don Gaetano was kept out of the hospital for incurables, he found other important things to do in Naples. He founded a convent for nuns whose discipline was very much like that of the Theatines. This convent was afterwards handed over to the care of the Franciscan Capuchins and the nuns started to be called Capuchins because of this. Another convent was started by him for the rehabilitation of women of the street and was called 'Convent of the Converts'. On top of all this he also entered the confraternity of the 'whites' who were religious people who used to accompany those condemned to the gallows. This way he could do further good trying to persuade these people to convert and turn to God before their death. A social injustice of the times especially in Naples was usury. Those who were in need, asked for loans to which were added the highest interests. These poor people, in this way, found themselves bound in a spiraling chain of debt which most of the time they could not escape. Don Gaetano thought that such an injustice could be fought with a 'Monte dei pegni' a kind of trust fund where on guaranty of the money borrowed and received, one could leave a token which could be retrieved when the money was restituted with just a little bit of interest. But to start this off, one needed a base of capital which the Theatines couldn't possibly possess. Here Don Gaetano remembered about the time, years before, when Count Oppido wanted to leave everything he possessed to the Theatines as heirs. He looked for him, and when they met, he found him enthusiastic and obliging, ready to throw his fortune into the cause and find other nobles who would follow. This way in 1539 the 'Monte dei pegni' was created in Naples, and it later was transformed into the 'Banco di Napoli' still existing today. This institution never forgot its humble beginnings at the hands of the Theatines, in fact, years ago, the Bank gave the Theatine church of San Paolo Maggiore of Naples, a magnificent pipe organ. Even in Naples, the rise of Lutheranism was being felt through three men of culture but of dubious character. One of these was still running around in a monk’s garb even though he had abandoned his Catholic faith. These three infiltrated congregations, groups and families around the city, instilling doubt, interpreting Gospels in their own way and discrediting priests and hierarchy. Many people, even priests and bishops fell to the errors, but Don Gaetano, a man of few words, confronted these people and revealed the misdirection of the pseudo doctrine coming from their crooked souls. For a while at least, the Neapolitans became immune to their false doctrine because of the efforts and fervour of Don Gaetano. In front of the proof of love offered by the Theatines to the Neapolitans, the hostilities slowly vanished as did the misunderstandings and coldness towards them. People referred to them with respect and were even starting to call Gaetano a Saint.

Then in 1536, Bishop Carafa as superior decided to send Gaetano again to Venice to fend against Lutheranism there. He obediently trekked across the length of Italy and after four years there, upon Carafa's call to Rome in 1540, Gaetano returned to Naples where he was elected Superior General of the order. The call for Carafa to Rome, necessary for his needed expertise with preparations for the Council of Trent, came with his nomination as Cardinal. This notification arrived suddenly while the Bishop was seriously ill in bed in the convent of the Dominicans. Many of the Theatines went to see him including Don Gaetano because of the upcoming nominations and procedures within the order. The two were in the poor and empty convent cell where the sick man lay in bed when the Papal envoy entered with the Cardinal's hat, the sign of nomination. This unusual procedure of the hat coming to the sick man, was justified since he was thought to be at the point of death. Seeing the hat, Don Gaetano was sad because the nomination was in total contrast with their principles of humility and poverty within the order they founded, so he signaled Carafa to refuse it. The other mistook the sign to be an affirmative one to accept and not be disobedient to the Pope. So the nomination was accepted and the Cardinal's hat was hung on one of the bare walls since the cell lacked any sort of furniture for it to be placed upon. This fact confirms that Carafa had always kept his dignity as Bishop while keeping his Theatine vows all the time. The new Cardinal in fact recovered from his sickness and devoted himself to his new duties, the reform of the Church being at the root of his thoughts. The Council of Trent was not completely wrapped up when one important declaration had come out, that of one diocese for one Bishop who was bound to reside there all the time. This brought to Carafa's mind the impossibility of his previous situation of trying to juggle two dioceses while being part of the Curia in Rome. Always working for the Church as Cardinal, Carafa had to put aside his Theatine garb and any position within the order even though he remained supportive till the end. This meant that now Don Gaetano had to shoulder a double load and moreover start commuting between Naples and Venice to take care of the two main branches of the order. From Naples even with the heavy load of work, he managed to extend his work to Verona and Vicenza too. The popularity of the Theatines could also be observed from the size of their congregation which now could not fit in the original church of Santa Maria della Stalletta. (Stalletta = small stable, which stood in the place where the church was originally built). So a new magnificent temple was built where St.Paul was said to have broken the statues of two pagan deities in the heart of Naples. This temple could accommodate a much larger congregation. At first Don Gaetano hesitated having his order maintain a parish church with its financial commitments clashing with the order's vow of poverty. But after the intervention of the Viceroy himself who cleared up the details, the Theatines took possession of San Paolo Maggiore on the 28th May 1537 and as the decades went by this temple was enriched, expanded and beautified up to the present times. Time was taking its toll on Don Gaetano, because of the consistently heavy load of work, penitence and the stress of leading the Theatine order. It was time for him to rest a little bit or to delegate more authority even because one of his legs was swelling up and he had to drag it along while walking.

Gaetano's Crib

The 'presepio', analogous to the theatre, showed, in a static way to the simple folk, what had happened in the stable of Bethlehem. This was probably the intention of Saint Francis, when at Greggio on Christmas night of 1223 he arranged a representation with figures of the Holy Family surrounded by hay, led an ox and a donkey in front of it and called the believers around him to explain how Our Lord was born in Bethlehem. This made the simple bystanders relive what really took place, a picture being worth a thousand words. The spread of the custom of the 'presepio' happened through the work of the Franciscans and the Dominicans. In the second half of the 1400s, from Tuscany it spread to the kingdom of Naples where in 1484 we find an important Neapolitan 'presepio' of San Giovanni Carbonara. The Neapolitan Rinascimento gave the history of the 'presepio' the contribution of well known sculptors such as Giovanni from Nola and Antonio Rossellino who created polychromatic figures and mangers in marble. Since that time, in Naples these crib compositions were centralized around a small hill, with the cave of the Nativity at the bottom surrounded by shepherds and the Magi on horseback coming down the mountain. Pope Clement VII proclaimed 1525 a Holy Year and Gaetano was there in Rome, but not so with many pilgrims because of the difficulties of the times. For the first time, a medal was struck to commemorate the jubilee event. One side of the medal represented the manger of Bethlehem, recalling the beginning of the Holy Year at Christmas; on the reverse, above the image of Pope Clement VII, St.Peter could be seen pointing to a glimpse of heaven. This was explained by the inscription: "The gates of heaven are half open".

This, together with his devotion to the Nativity of Jesus and his Vision in his early days of priesthood, might have been the time that gave Gaetano the idea of improving on the Nativity scene. An important milestone in the development and popularity of the Crib happened in Naples when Gaetano started to enrich the simple representation started by St.Francis of Assisi. Gaetano added not only characters from Jesus' time but also contemporary ones without the fear of any anachronism. In 1534, at the oratory of Sta.Maria della Stalletta, aptly named 'Our Lady of the Stable' near the Hospital for the terminally ill, he built a nativity scene with wooden figures dressed up in clothing in the fashion of the times. He amplified and extended the scene with many figures like shepherds, craftsmen, animals etc. After that the tradition took off and nowadays the Cribs of Naples are considered the best classical ones all over the world. As years went by, the crib was continually updated with figures from contemporary culture and politics. Gaetano had abandoned medieval symbolism and started a new tradition that gave life to what came to be the principal characteristic of the Crib, namely its timelessness which permits the reliving of the Birth of Christ in any age. To those who were attracted to this new kind of exhibition in the church, Gaetano preached with such feeling and shedding of tears, that even those who were insensible to the fire and brimstone sermons of preachers, softened up at his words and asked forgiveness for their sins. This new invention of our Saint was received with such fervour among the Neapolitans, that in subsequent years it spread to other churches, nowadays reaching most Christian and practically all Catholic churches the world over.

Doing this, Gaetano anticipated the Council of Trent which favoured the diffusion of the Holy Crib as an expression of popular devotion. After the death of Gaetano, the Council of Trent, concluded in 1563, set precise norms on the cult of Saints and relics, accepting the representation of the scene at Bethlehem as an expression of the people's religiosity.

The last tumultuous days

The battle in Naples had been won, a little at a time, the initial hostilities gave way to openness towards the Theatines of Don Gaetano. Many were already regarding him as a Saint, something that made him suffer because of his great humility.

It was with joy that he heard about his exoneration from head of the order, which job passed over to the capable Giovanni Marinoni. This way Gaetano could dedicate most of his time to religious activities inside the Temple but keep other menial tasks like sweeping and doing the laundry. Now that the Theatines were being accepted at the hospital, he increased his efforts there with the sick, again doing the lowest of jobs. This way, in the latter part of his life, he returned to his original ideals, caring for and serving the sick and needy in the utmost simplicity as if it were an honour bestowed upon him by God. The end was not too far off but he still had to taste the bitter cup one last time.

In Spain, with the intention of defending the Catholic faith from heretical deviations, the king and queen asked the Pope permission to act. Thus the Sacred Spanish Inquisition was instituted, affecting Naples too because it was under Spanish rule. With Don Pedro di Toledo as Viceroy, the Inquisition started taking on political overtones, hitting political adversaries all around Don Gaetano. It was Cardinal Carafa himself who had conceded to the Viceroy the institution of the Inquisition in Naples. The clergy felt that the privileges they previously enjoyed were at risk, and the population, excited, complained with a loud voice against injustices, famines and other suffering. In a situation this tense only a little spark was needed to light the fire of civil upheaval.

A common delinquent was being escorted on his way to jail when seeing a group of well dressed young men, called for their help stating he was an innocent victim of the Inquisitor's tribunal. The young, generous and impulsive men jumped on the jailers and made them release the prisoner. The population applauded the act but the Viceroy was of a different opinion ordering them traced and when caught the three of them were hanged as an example. This resulted in chaos amongst Neapolitan society and day by day violent incidents became more numerous and bloody. The Viceroy had armed troops at the ready but the masses were full of suppressed anger and had the advantage of mobility. They also knew their way around the city and the organizational skills of when and where to build barricades. Neither side took it lightly and soon the streets were full of corpses.

This was too much for Don Gaetano, seeing the state of his beloved Naples and the broken souls of the people previously so disposed to religious practices. Old before his time, in bad health with a very painful leg, the saintly priest tried to mix with the people, raising his crucifix high and saying words of peace, tolerance and acceptance. In his prayers he invoked the mercy of God and went as far as asking God to take his life but send peace to the city. In practice he even tried to beg the Viceroy for a sign of mercy for the poor souls under his care. But everything seemed useless. If the battle subsided where he was present it broke out in other areas. The Spaniards fired their muskets on the people and these in turn escaped, showing up in another part of the city ready to fight anew.

Broken hearted, Don Gaetano felt his health ebb away. He lay down on his bed, which was just two bare planks of wood, and submitted himself to the doctors well knowing that his end was near. He had told his closest friends beforehand when he was to die. Now more than ever, he prayed that the slaughter in the city might cease. One of the doctors could not bear to see him die on bare wood and ordered a mattress brought in. On seeing it, Don Gaetano said he would not suffer penance on a soft mattress because "even Christ himself died on a piece of wood!" One of his last admonishments was the fact that no one can expect to go to Heaven without suffering.

At the point of death, in the middle of great physical pain, Don Gaetano saw the Sacred Virgin once more, this time speaking to him and saying: 'Gaetano, My Son calls you, let us go in peace'. He gave up his spirit in the evening of the 7th August of 1547. Before he breathed his last, our humble Saint expressed the wish to be buried in a common grave in the church of San Paolo Maggiore. The Church proclaimed him Saint in 1671, but the people for whom he was a Saint when still alive, started venerating him as soon as he died because they were witnesses to what had happened to them personally. As soon as the news about his death went out, all hostilities ceased, God had heard his plea. The people who brought about his demise and death now flocked around his corpse full of repentance. At first his body was buried in the Theatine cemetery near the Church of St.Paul, but afterwards it was disinterred and moved to the crypt of the Church, where it now lies and is held in great reverence. On his grave this epitaph is written: 'Here lies the one who prays so much for his people'.

The Neapolitan population never forgot this Theatine of Vicenza who gave them his all to the end, dying of worry and exhaustion in a life of continuous service without rest. The square in front of the Basilica of San Paolo Maggiore is dedicated to him, but the basilica itself, for centuries seat of the Theatine order, though dedicated to St.Paul, is commonly called San Gaetano. His remains, together with those of Blessed Marinoni, Blessed Paolo Burali and other Venerable Theatines, is kept in the monumental crypt which is in itself another church and which has direct access from the square and is the centre of continuous devotion of the people. In the square, like in other areas of Naples, there is a large statue of the Saint who for ages has been co-patron of Naples. His name is among the most common among the children of the Neapolitan and provincial population.

Naples paid homage to the Saint by making peace, returning to believe in the immortal truth always preached by San Gaetano: 'Love one another as I (Christ) have loved you'.

* He was Beatified by Urban VIII in 1629, and Canonized by Clement X in 1671. His feast is kept on the 7th of August and in many places celebrated the first Sunday after that date.

* San Gaetano is the patron Saint of Divine Providence, of blood donors, of bread, of job seekers and of unemployed workers.