The center of all religious initiatives for the feast of Santa Zita is the Basilica of San Frediano where the incorrupt body of the Fatinelli family’s servant rests.
As is known, Zita was born into a poor family in Monsagrati in 1218 and died in Lucca on 27 April 1278. She served the Fatinelli family from the age of twelve until her death, united with the Lord with prayer and works of charity towards the poor. Since her death, the people of Lucca have acclaimed her as a saint. In the poster of this year’s celebrations we read an invitation which recalls, in fact, the image of one of the most well-known miracles attributed to St. Zita. “Every time a man or a woman decides to want to live as a resurrected person – is the archbishop’s invitation – by welcoming the Easter gift of new life, goodness and beauty spread throughout the world, history improves and the Kingdom flourishes”.
This is the program of celebrations in the Basilica of San Frediano: Thursday (25 April) mass at 9am and then at 6pm. The latter will be celebrated with the parish community Val Freddana Nord and presided over by the parish priest Don Alessandro Gianni, parish priest of Monsagrati, the home parish of S. Zita. Friday (26 April) mass at 8am and 6pm. Saturday (27 April), liturgical memorial of Santa Zita, three masses are scheduled: at 8am, 9.30am and 10.30am. Another mass at 11.30 with an Irish group visiting the holy Irish bishops Frediano, bishop of Lucca and Silao bishop in Ireland who died in Lucca and whose relics are kept in the Basilica.
The relics of San Frediano are under the main altar and those of S. Silao, already kept in the former Benedictine monastery in via della Zecca, temporarily in the Chapel of the Madonna del Soccorso. At 5.30 pm then solemn mass presided over by Archbishop Monsignor Paolo Giulietti and animated by the Polifonica Lucchese directed by Maestro Egisto Matteucci. Finally, on Sunday (28 April), masses will be held at 12pm and 6pm.
Tags: feast Santa Zita program celebrations basilica San Frediano
