During the Reformation, Saint Cajetan was one of the most influential church reformers. He remained devoted to the Church despite the excesses and corruption that drove many others to desert Her.

He was raised in an aristocratic household and was born in October 1480. His mother gave him a strict education after his father passed away when he was only two years old. He worked as a jurist in Pope Julius II's court after studying canon and civil law; nevertheless, he left the position after the Pope passed away to pursue studies for the priesthood.

At the age of 36, he received his ordination. He established a community of priests who, in opposition to the spiritual and political corruption of the day, lived a monastic life of prayer and poverty and actively assisted the impoverished. Theatines is the colloquial term for his order, the Congregation of Clerks Regular, which was named after one of his friends, Giovanni Pietro Caraffa, the Bishop of Chieti (called Theatre in Latin), who went on to become Pope Paul IV.

Throughout his life, he was deeply concerned about the impoverished and engaged in frequent acts of charity, whether through one-on-one interactions or establishing organizations like a hospital for terminally ill patients. In order to provide loans to the underprivileged without the customary exorbitant interest that other money lenders impose, he even established a bank for them.

He established one of his order's homes in Naples in 1533 and fought the spread of the Lutheran heresy there. On August 6, 1547, the Feast of the Transfiguration, he passed away. This happened in Naples while the city was still experiencing severe social, political, and spiritual unrest.

Pope Clement X canonized Saint Cajetan in 1671. His feast day is celebrated on August 7. He is revered as the patron saint of workers, gamblers, job seekers and unemployed people.

Other Saints of the Day
Saint Donat
Saint Faustus of Milan
Saint Carpophorus
Saint Albert of Trapani
Saint Donatus of Besancon