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St. Zita was a 13th-century saint most best known for her connection to domestic service.
Even a brief Google search will find a number of “St. Zita Cleaning Services,” showing how her patronage has endured through to modern times.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “At the age of 12 she entered the service of the Fatinelli family of Lucca. Her piety and the exactitude with which she discharged her domestic duties, in which she regarded herself as serving God rather than man, even supplying the deficiencies of her fellow servants, far from gaining for her their love and esteem and that of her employers rather brought upon her every manner of ill-treatment of both the former and, through their accusations, of the latter.”
An article on EWTN further expands on this part of her life, “She considered her work as an employment assigned her by God, and as part of her penance; and obeyed her master and mistress in all things as being placed over her by God. She always rose several hours before the rest of the family and employed in prayer a considerable part of the time which others gave to sleep.”
Furthermore, “Notwithstanding her extreme attention to her exterior employments, she acquired a wonderful facility of joining with them almost continual mental prayer and of keeping her soul constantly attentive to the divine presence.”
Imagining she was cleaning the house for God
Sometimes on social media there is a story that circulates around St. Zita’s feast day that says whenever St. Zita felt tired and worn out, unable to wash another window, she would imagine herself cleaning the house for God.
This story does seem to be supported by her general desire to do everything for God.
She then is a perfect patron for anyone who hates to do house chores and is extremely worn out, unable to pick-up another piece of clothing from the floor.
In a similar vein, a quote commonly attributed to Mother Teresa adds to this sense of doing housework as an act of love:
Wash the plate not because it is dirty, nor because you are told to wash it, but because you love the person who will use it next.
The next time you have difficulty cleaning your house, ask St. Zita for help!
And today we celebrate...