Today July 5

Today is the feast day of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502 - 1539). He was a medical doctor as well as a priest and founder of the "Clerks Regular of St. Paul," also known as the Barnabites, after their church of St. Barnabas in Milan.

He was fatherless at a young age but his mother raised him right, and was like both a mother and a father to him. He'd gone ALL the way through medical school (then, as now, a long, expensive and demanding proposition) when he realized he had a vocation. Rather than turning his back on his medical studies, he decided to combine them. He was no "perpetual student," however. He had an active practice even as he was putting himself through seminary. He was ordained in 1528 and began at once to "heal souls as well as bodies" - Butler's Lives.

Interestingly, he had a great female platonic friend, Louisa Torelli, with whom he not only prayed, conversed and gave spiritual direction, but actually started an informal group called the Angelicals -- for women only: at-risk women who were in danger of falling, or who had already fallen into, a life of sin. This group was an original self-help group, in the best sense of the word, providing not only strength and encouragement, but an actual roof over their heads, food and medical care.

Anthony was moved -- after founding the organization for women -- to found one for men, but not for at-risk or street men, but for like-minded priests who would be bound by rules and vows but not as monks or friars. They would be the Barnabite community, committed above all to preaching and administering the sacraments. Now, you might think there was no need for this, since ALL priests are supposed to be committed to those things. But you have to remember this was the sixteenth century and many priests were burnt out, mediocre or just serving time. Plus the Christian world was sharply divided: this was the rise of Protestantism, and in many places there were more Protestants than Catholics. So Anthony and friends, with their indefatigable preaching, parish missions, confession opportunities, anointings, baptisms --- as well as acts of mercy, particularly towards victims of the plague (it had hit Milan pretty hard) -- fulfilled a much-needed gap in the lives of the people.