Saint Zita

Zita was born around 1218 in Monsagrati, a village near Lucca in Tuscany, to a poor and devout family. At twelve she went to work as a servant in the house of the wealthy Fatinelli family in Lucca, and she stayed there for the rest of her life, some forty-eight years.

At first the other servants mocked her diligence and the family treated her harshly, but her patience, honesty and kindness slowly won them over, and in time she was entrusted with running the household. She rose early to attend Mass, worked hard, saw her work as service to God, and generously gave her own food and clothing to the poor. A favorite story says that once, when she had left her baking to help someone in need, angels were found finishing the bread. She died on April 27, 1272. Her incorrupt body rests in the Basilica of San Frediano in Lucca, and she was canonized in 1696.

On her feast in Lucca, the people bring daffodils and other flowers to San Frediano, and the city holds a flower market in her honor. She is invoked by domestic workers, housekeepers and caregivers, and by anyone who has lost their keys.