The Holy Shroud is the cloth that was used to wrap Jesus’ dead body after his crucifixion. It is a 4.4 meters by 11 meters material made of linen.
It was first shown for public viewing on May 7, 1536, on the balcony of Castello Sforzesco by Saint Anthony Maria Zaccaria.
Pope Benedict XVI, in a preface for a book about him, praised the saint as “one of the great figures of Catholic reform in 1500, involved in the renewal of Christian life on an era of profound crisis.”
Healer of body and soul
Saint Anthony Maria Zaccaria was born in Cremona, Italy, in 1502, probably on December 8. His father, Lazzaro, of Italian noble family, died after his birth. Lazzaro’s young bride, Antonietta, barely 18 years old, did not remarry and devoted herself caring for Anthony and doing charitable work. Anthony grew up with compassion for the poor.
After his Philosophy studies in Pavia, Anthony studied medicine at the University of Padua. At 22, the young doctor returned to Cremona to practice his profession.
But he realized he was more interested in healing souls, so he pursued theology in Bologna. He received his tonsure (head left bare on top by shaving off the hair) on June 6, 1528, and was ordained priest on February 20, 1529, at Saint Joseph Chapel.
As a new priest he realized the widespread “spirit of corruption and religious neglect” among Christians. So sad he was on the “widespread ignorance about the Catholic faith and indifference among the lay persons.”
The doctor of soul and body extended pastoral care. He preached tirelessly about the faith, which dramatically changed the “moral character of the city.”
Christian way of life
Encouraged to be of better service to Holy Mother Church, he went to Milan. He joined the Oratory of Eternal Wisdom, where he met Bartolommeo Ferrari and Glacomo Antonio Morigia.
They founded the Clerks Regular of Saint Paul, which became known as Barnabites, after Saint Barnabas Church which was entrusted to the group.
The purpose of the group was to enliven the Catholic faith through frequent preaching and administration of the sacraments.
North Italy, too, was in deplorable condition. The country was devastated by wars. There was famine and plague, and a state of misery abound. It was the advent of Lutheran efforts to sow “contempt for everything Catholic.”
As early leaders of the Counter Reformation, Anthony led the group, preaching to revive the Christian way of life, love for divine worship and frequent reception of sacraments.
A task added under his watch was the designation as spiritual director of a non-cloistered community, Angelics of Saint Paul.
To instill awareness among the people, he introduced the ringing of church bells every Friday at 3 p.m. to commemorate the passion and death of Jesus Christ. Then, he introduced the 40-hour adoration to the Blessed Sacrament in the Cathedral of Milan, which was approved and supported by Pope Paul III.
Although sick, he was sent by the pope to restore peace in Guastalla in northern Italy. After two months of exhaustive activities, he felt death is near and requested to be brought home to his mother in Cremona. He was loaded on a boat used by dealers who make mandatory stops in Cremona, on June 20, 1539.
On July 5, 1539, he died on the arms of his mother, surrounded by friends. He was 36 years old. Nearly three decades after his death, his body was found incorrupt.
He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1890 and canonized on May 15, 1897.
Damo-Santiago is a former regional director of the Department of Education National Capital Region. She is currently a faculty member of Mater Redemptoris Collegium in Calauan, Laguna, and of Mater Redemptoris College in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija.
Image credits: Wikimedia Commons