Zita of Lucca (1218–1275)

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Zita of Lucca (1218–1275)

Italian saint of Lucca. Name variations: Sitha. Born in 1218 in Lucca, Italy; died in 1275 in Lucca; never married; no children. Her feast day is April 27.

Few details remain of the pious Zita's life. She was a peasant woman of Lucca (Italy), whose family sent her to work as a serving girl when she was only ten. Quiet and reserved, young Zita served her employers, the Faytinelli family, for almost 50 years. She spent her spare time in service for the poor; though she had little, she gave as generously as she could to the less fortunate. Zita also helped out at local hospitals, caring for the ill; for all these acts, she became well known and respected. After her death, her admirers pushed successfully for her canonization.

Laura York , M.A. in History, University of California, Riverside, California

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