Born in Venice in 1480, his father died when he was two years old. His mother was a great model of faith for Cajetan and he followed in her footsteps. 

He studied civil and canon law in Padua and by the age of twenty four received his law degree. 

A few years later he was given a post as a diplomat for Pope Julius II, where he helped reconcile a dispute between The Church and Venice. 

In 1513, after the death of Pope Julius, he answered the call to become a priest and was ordained three years later. 

In 1522, he went back to Venice after the death of his mother and started a hospital for those with incurable illnesses, where care was devoted as much to the spiritual needs of the patient as the physical and it was also in Venice that he and three of his friends decided to attend to the needs of a weakened and ineffective clergy. 

They formed the Theatines and from that group of friends would come Pope Paul IV. 

In addition to the Theatines, Cajetan worked with St. Jerome Emiliani to found the Congregation of the Clerks Regular, dedicated to charitable works and he even helped start a bank for the poor. 

He died on this day in 1547.

St. Cajetan, please pray for us.