St. Zita's Day

Sometimes I'm glad I didn't know the orthodox way of doing things as a Catholic before I do them. I chose my patron saint even before my conversion, or maybe she chose me. I discovered her story in a rather awful book I picked up at random from the local library--The Birthday Book of Saints. My personal ideal of the ultimate Christian at that time was someone who could arrive at heaven and be thrilled to discover their eternal vocation was scrubbing toilets. St. Zita seemed to be that kind of person, and I was drawn to finding out more about her.
Her family were all very holy people but poor, so they sent Zita to work for a wealthy family around the age of 12. It was a volatile household and the older servants picked on her. St. Zita used all of these experiences to help her grow in holiness. She loved to attend mass and went every day. There are numerous miracle stories about her that usually involve her giving away something of value to the poor and then being rescued from her master's wrath by divine intervention. By the time of her death she was running the household and the family had been deeply converted by her example. Her body is on display in the Cathedral at Lucca, Italy. She is an incorruptible, meaning her body has not decayed despite the 737 years since her death.