FEAST OF OUR LADY OF MONTSERRAT | MEMORIAL OF SAINT ZITA OF LUCCA, VIRGIN ~ FEAST DAY: APRIL 27TH

As we continue to celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, today, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady  of Montserrat and the Memorial of Saint Zita of Lucca, Virgin (Patron Saint of Domestic Workers). Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, Our Lady of Montserrat and Saint Zita, we humbly pray for the sick, we particularly pray for those who are terminally ill and dying. May God in His infinite grace and mercy grant them His divine healing and intervention. We also pray for the Church, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, for all maids, waitresses and other domestic workers and Christians all over the world. šŸ™šŸ½

OUR LADY OF MONTSERRAT: Our Lady of Montserrat or theĀ Virgin of MontserratĀ is a Marian title associated with a statue of theĀ Madonna and ChildĀ venerated at theĀ Santa Maria de MontserratĀ monastery on the Montserrat Mountain inĀ Catalonia,Ā Spain. Legend relates that the original sculpture was carved by St. Luke and brought to Montserrat by St. Peter in 50 A.D. St. Ignatius of Loyola, a former Crusader, decided to become a missionary after having prayed before this image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The origin of the devotion to Our Lady at the shrine of Montserrat according to the earliest written records dates from 932, when the Count of Barcelona confirmed and renewed an endowment to the shrine made by his father in 888. This gift was again confirmed in 982 by Lothaire, King of France. Constant and unbroken tradition is that even previous to 888, an image of Our Lady was miraculously found among the rocks of Montserrat. Montserrat itself is a fantastic mountain group, four thousand feet high, about twenty miles from Barcelona. The name, Montserrat, of Latin origin, means saw-edged mountain. It is formed by huge boulders that raise their immense bulk perpendicularly to that four thousand foot summit. Outwardly, it resembles the seemingly inaccessible monasteries seen on high Mount Athos in Greece: “Montserrat is, and will forever be, a source of deep impressions caused by the singularity of the place. There, what is material becomes cyclopean, the mysterious is turned mystical and the picturesque is promoted to sublimity.” There is a story that the mountain was once a huge boulder with a smooth surface. At the time of the Crucifixion of Jesus, however, when the sun darkened, the rock was shaken to its very foundations and when light returned, the mountain had a thousand peaks.

The legend relates that the figure of Our Lady came from Jerusalem to Barcelona, and was brought into the mountains to save it from the Saracens. It is true that the Montserrat statue has oriental features, but this could well be traced to the Byzantine sculptors who were constantly employed in the West. The legend goes on to say that in the eighth century shepherds one night saw strange lights on the mountain and heard Seraphic music. Guided by the shepherds, the Bishop of Manresa found, in a cavern, a wooden figure of Our Lady and the Holy Child. He ordered that the statue be carried into the cathedral immediately. However, the procession with the statue never reached the cathedral because, after much marching, the small wooden figure became too heavy so that the Bishop decided to accept it as a sign and left it in a chapel of a nearby hermitage. The statue remained there until a church was built on the site of the present abbey on the top of the rocks near where the statue was discovered. Since that incident, this statue is the most celebrated, the most important of Spain; it is thirty-eight inches in height, and is known as “La Morenata”—The Little Black Madonna. The wood is now black with age; one of its most striking features is the dignified expression of Our Lady. In her right hand, she holds a majestic orb. Our Lady of Montserrat is the Patron Saint of Catalonia, an honour she shares with Saint George. The famed image once bore the inscription ”Nigra Sum Sed Formosa” (Latin: I am Black, but Beautiful).

A historian wrote:  ā€œIn all ages the sinful, the suffering, the sorrowful, have laid their woes at the feet of Our Lady of Montserrat and none have ever gone away unheard or unaided.ā€ 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed are thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen šŸ™šŸ½

PRAYER: O God, Giver of all good things, who didst choose Montserrat as a glorious ShrineĀ for the Mother of thy only begotten Son, and through her intercessionĀ there hast granted favors without number to those who sought them there:Ā bow down thine ears now to our petitions as we kneel and pray before Her image. Thou Who livest and reignest forever and ever… Amen šŸ™šŸ½

SAINT ZITA OF LUCCA, VIRGIN: Saint Zita (1212-1272), also known as Sitha or Citha), was a 13th century Italian woman whose humble and patient service to God has made her a patron saint of maids and other domestic workers. St. Zita was born in 1212 at Monte Sagrati, near Lucca, Italy into poverty during the early 1200s, Zita was taught by her mother from an early age to seek God’s will in all circumstances. Her elder sister became a Cistercian nun and her uncle Graziano was a hermit whom the local people regarded as a Saint. Zita herself showed a marked tendency to do God’s will obediently whenever it was pointed out to her by her mother. She had already developed a strong prayer life by the time she was sent, at age 12, to work in the home of the Fatinelli family, a well-to-do weaver in Lucca, Italy, eight miles from her native village of Monte Sagrati. St. Zita’s employers lived near a church where she managed – by waking up extremely early in the morning – to attend daily Mass. She looked upon her work primarily as a means of serving God, and kept herself mindful of His presence during long hours of exhausting tasks. Her presence in the Fatinelli household, however, was inexplicably unwelcome and met with harsh treatment for a number of years. Zita suffered hostility and abuse from her employers, including fits of rage and beatings. The young woman faced these trials with patience and inner strength developed through a life of prayer. In time, the members of the household came to value her service, and appreciate the virtues she had acquired through God’s grace.

St. Zita maintained her humility when she was promoted to a position of responsibility within the Fatinelli home. She continued to view her earthly responsibilities as a service to God, and to seek his presence through prayer and fasting. She also refused to hold a grudge against those who once mistreated her. Within her new household role, St. Zita was faithful to Christ’s admonition that superiors should conduct themselves as the servants of all. St. Zita believed that “A servant is not pious if she is not industrious; work-shy piety in people of our position is sham piety.”  According to her, “a servant is not Holy if she is not busy.” She was kind to those under her direction, and mindful of the poor through frequent almsgiving to the point of personal sacrifice. Throughout her life, St. Zita found a source of strength and consolation in the Mass and Holy Communion, which frequently moved her to tears. Despite her many responsibilities, she frequently set aside time to recall God’s presence through contemplative prayer in the course of the day. One anecdote relates a story of St. Zita giving her own food or that of her master to the poor. On one morning, St. Zita left her chore of baking bread to tend to someone in need. Some of the other servants made sure the Fatinelli family was aware of what happened; when they went to investigate, they claimed to have found angels in the Fatinelli kitchen, baking the bread for her.

After foretelling her own death and spiritually preparing for it, St. Zita died very peacefully while at prayer in Lucca, Italy on April 27, 1272 at about the age of 60, serving the same family, and after her death many miracles occurred through her intercession. Many residents regarded her as a saint and began to seek her intercession, to which a large number of miracles were attributed. Some writers even began referring to the city of Lucca as ā€œSanta Zitaā€ in her honor.The Fatinelli family, which had once caused St. Zita such extreme suffering, eventually contributed to the cause of her canonization. The earliest account of her life was found in a manuscript belonging to the family, and published in 1688. The Church’s liturgical veneration of St. Zita was introduced in the early 1500s, and confirmed by Pope Innocent XII on September 5, 1696. In 1580, her body was exhumed and found to be miraculously incorrupt, but it has since been mummified. It is venerated today in the Basilica of St. Frediano, where she attended Mass during her life. Her humble and patient service to God has made her a Patron Saint of maids and other domestic workers, people ridiculed for their piety, single laywomen, waiters, waitresses, Italian City of Lucca and she is often appealed to in order to help find lost keys.

PRAYER: Lord God, You showered heavenly gifts on St. Zita the Virgin. Help us to imitate her virtues during our earthly life and enjoy eternal happiness with her in heaven… AmenšŸ™šŸ½