St. Cajetan of Thiene Novena

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St. Cajetan of Thiene was an Italian priest in the 1400-1500s. He was a co-founder of Theatine religious order, and he did a lot  to help reform the Church in his day!

Join in praying this novena for the powerful intercession from this holy priest!

About St. Cajetan of Thiene

St. Cajetan of Thiene was born in 1480 to parents who were members of the nobility. Cajetan’s father died when Cajetan was only two years old. His mother was a pious Catholic and formed Cajetan in the Faith throughout his childhood.

As a young man, Cajetan studied law, earning a degree in civil and canon law when he was twenty-four years old. After this, he began working for Pope Julius II as a diplomat. At age 36, Cajetan was ordained as a priest.

When Cajetan’s mother died, he returned to his hometown of Vicenza. While there, he established a hospital for those with incurable diseases. He also established a similar hospital in Venice.

Though Cajetan was occupied with serving the sick and suffering, he was also concerned about the state of the Church. Around the time that Martin Luther was leading a revolt against the Church, Cajetan began working to combat the abuses that were happening inside the Church.

Cajetan found other clergy who wished to reform the Church from within as he did. Together with them, he founded an order that was based on the lives of the Apostles. The order was focused on pastoral care, preaching, assisting the sick, and sacred studies.

Cajetan hoped that this new order would inspire those in the Church who were falling into laxity or abuse to reform their lives. Because this order was for members of the regular clergy, it was named Theatines Clerks Regular (after the order’s first superior, Bishop Theatensis).

Cajetan’s hopes of inspiring reformation were not met with immediate success. He faced opposition from both laity and clergy members who did not want to change their ways. But years of patient preaching and holy example eventually led many to conversion.

Cajetan also continued his work among the poor by establishing a bank that was devoted to helping the poor escape from corrupt institutions that charged unjust interest rates. This bank later became the Banco di Napoli, one of the oldest banks still operating today.

Cajetan eventually fell ill, due in part to his tireless work in the Church and among the poor. During his illness, doctors suggested he stop his practice of sleeping on a board and instead rest on a soft bed. But Cajetan replied, “My Savior died on a Cross. Let me die on wood at least.”

He died on August 7th, 1547 in Naples.

St. Cajetan of Thiene’s Feast Day: August 7th

Why Pray the St. Cajetan of Thiene Novena?

St. Cajetan of Thiene is the patron saint of the gamblers, document controllers, gamers, and good fortune. He’s also the patron saint of the unemployed and job seekers, so you can definitely ask for his intercession if you are seeking employment.

St. Cajetan is also the patron saint of bankers, since he established what is now one of the oldest operating banks in the world. So you can ask for his prayers if you are a banker, or on behalf of someone you know who is a banker.

You can pray the St. Cajetan of Thiene Novena for any intention!

St. Cajetan of Thiene Novena Prayers

St. Cajetan of Thiene Novena - Day 1

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Lord God, we thank You for giving us Your priest, St. Cajetan of Thiene, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You that he showed by choosing to serve You as a priest.

St. Cajetan of Thiene, you first learned about the Faith from you pious mother. From her, you learned how to serve God with devotion. As a young man, you studied the Faith more as you earned a degree in canon law.

You did not immediately set out to become a priest, but you eventually realized God was calling you to this path.

Pray that I may be open to God leading me in an unexpected direction. Pray that I will be open to following Him.

As a priest, you served God wholeheartedly. You served Him in the poor and suffering, and you desired to reform His Church.

Pray for me, that I may serve God as fervently as you did!

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cajetan of Thiene, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

St. Cajetan of Thiene Novena - Day 2

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Lord God, we thank You for giving us Your priest, St. Cajetan of Thiene, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You that he showed throughout his life, from his time as a student until his death.

St. Cajetan of Thiene, you began the journey to your priestly vocation by learning about the Faith from your mother and studying the laws of the Church along with your other studies.

Pray that I will make more time, and get into the habit of studying God’s word.

As a priest, you used your knowledge of Church teachings to help combat the abuse and revolts happening within the Church. You knew how important and valuable it can be to study Church teachings. You even made sacred study an important aspect of the order you co-founded.

Pray for me, that I may always seek to increase my knowledge of God and His Church!

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cajetan of Thiene, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

St. Cajetan of Thiene Novena - Day 3

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Lord God, we thank You for giving us Your priest, St. Cajetan of Thiene, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You that he showed as he served You in the sick and suffering around him.

St. Cajetan of Thiene, you devoted much of your life to serving the sick and suffering. You established hospitals to care for those who suffered from incurable diseases. When you helped to co-found the religious order the Theatines Clerks Regular, you ensured that one of the order’s main duties would be caring for the sick.

Pray that I will notice the needs of those around me and that I will respond to them.

The work you did among the sick and suffering must not have been always pleasant, but you persevered in this service for love of God.

Pray for me, that I may always be ready to serve God by assisting my brothers and sisters who are suffering!

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cajetan of Thiene, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

St. Cajetan of Thiene Novena - Day 4

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Lord God, we thank You for giving us Your priest, St. Cajetan of Thiene, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the charity he showed as he served You in the sick and suffering he encountered.

St. Cajetan of Thiene, you did a lot to assist those you encountered who were suffering with physical ailments. You saw that there was a need for hospitals devoted to those who would suffer for the rest of their lives with incurable diseases. And you established hospitals to care particularly for these suffering people.

Please pray for all those who suffer today with incurable diseases, and please pray for their caretakers and physicians.

Rather than shirk away from the unpleasantness of the suffering you saw, St. Cajetan, you boldly did all you could to serve God through charity toward the sick.

Pray for me, that I may always seek to serve God, even when the tasks He calls me to are not pleasant.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cajetan of Thiene, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

St. Cajetan of Thiene Novena - Day 5

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Lord God, we thank You for giving us Your priest, St. Cajetan of Thiene, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You that he showed in his efforts to bring about reformation amidst the abuses he saw in the Church around him.

St. Cajetan of Thiene, you lived in a time of much turmoil in the Church. The Protestant revolt was beginning around you, and you knew that there were legitimate problems and abuses in the Church at the time.

Such problems still exist today. Please pray for the Church, for those working within it, and for all laypeople who are working to reform the Church. And pray for those who have been deeply harmed by these problems and abuses.

You loved the Church dearly and did not wish to see it become fractured. You did all you could to bring about the much needed reform from within the Church through education, prayer, and good example.

Pray for me, that I may always serve God and His Church with a devotion like yours!

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cajetan of Thiene, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

St. Cajetan of Thiene Novena - Day 6

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Lord God, we thank You for giving us Your priest, St. Cajetan of Thiene, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You with which he worked to bring about reform and holiness among the clergy in Your Church.

St. Cajetan of Thiene, you saw that a lot was lacking among many of the clergy who served in the Church in your time. You knew that reform was needed to combat the laxity and abuse you saw around you. And it is needed still today. Please pray for us and for the Church!

You did not enter into revolt against the Church as others conscious of the abuses were doing. Instead, you worked to bring about reform through holy example, prayer, and education. And you found others to assist you in this work.

Pray for me, that I may be as devoted to the Church as you were!

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cajetan of Thiene, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

St. Cajetan of Thiene Novena - Day 7

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Lord God, we thank You for giving us Your priest, St. Cajetan of Thiene, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed by working to bring about reform within Your Church.

St. Cajetan of Thiene, you saw that the Church was in need of reform in your time. You knew that others were revolting against the Church, but you chose a more humble and holy course. You chose to work within the Church to bring about the reform that was needed.

Pray that I will see how I can work within the Church to bring about reform!

You hoped to inspire reformation by the establishment of your Theatines Clerks Regular. But your efforts did not bring about immediate success. Instead, you were met with opposition from fellow clergy members who did not want to reform their lives. But your years of patient preaching and example eventually led many to conversion.

Pray for me, that I may patiently persevere in serving God as you did. Pray that my faith and the work that I do for the Church will somehow also lead many to conversion.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cajetan of Thiene, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

St. Cajetan of Thiene Novena - Day 8

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Lord God, we thank You for giving us Your priest, St. Cajetan of Thiene, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed by working to serve the poor and helping the poor to climb out of their poverty.

St. Cajetan of Thiene, you saw that many around you were shackled by poverty. You saw that unjust interest rates at lending institutions were a large part of the problem leading to this poverty. Please pray for those who continue to suffer because of problems like this!

Rather than narrowly focusing on your work among the sick and among the clergy, you answered God’s call to find solutions to the poverty you saw as well. You established a bank to help assist the poor with the monetary needs that were making their lives so difficult.

Pray for me, that I may always be willing to help those in need as you were.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cajetan of Thiene, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

St. Cajetan of Thiene Novena - Day 9

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Lord God, we thank You for giving us Your priest, St. Cajetan of Thiene, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the spirit of penance he showed by continuing to sleep on a wooden board even as he lay dying.

St. Cajetan of Thiene, you strove to serve God in holiness throughout your life as a priest. You worked among the sick and suffering, you worked to reform the Church, and you served the poor. Throughout these efforts, you looked to prayer and penance as a foundation of holy work.

Please pray that I will incorporate more of both of these in my own life!

Even as you lay dying, you did not want to abandon your practice of penance. When a doctor suggested you give up sleeping on a wooden board, you replied that you wanted to die on a board, since your Savior died on a Cross.

Pray for me, that I may be penitential in my own life!

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cajetan of Thiene, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.