St. Cajetan (1480–1547), an Italian priest who trusted so completely in God’s providence that his religious order owned nothing and did not even beg, is the patron of job seekers and the unemployed. In Argentina, where he is San Cayetano, hundreds of thousands of people line up at his shrine in Buenos Aires every August 7 to pray for “bread and work.” Below are prayers to St. Cajetan for a job, for those out of work and for trust in Providence, Scripture and his story.
A prayer to St. Cajetan for a job
Written for this page:
St. Cajetan, patron of those who seek work,
you trusted God for everything and he never let you lack what you needed.
I come to you in my need: I am looking for work.
Open the right doors for me, guide my search and my interviews,
give me courage when I am discouraged,
and help me to find a job where I can support my family,
use my gifts and serve God and others. Amen.
See also the Catholic prayer for a job and the St. Joseph the Worker prayer.
A prayer for the unemployed
St. Cajetan, father of Providence,
pray for all who have lost their jobs and cannot find work,
for families struggling to pay their bills,
and for young people looking for their first job.
Give them bread and work, dignity and hope,
and move the hearts of those who can hire and help. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
A prayer of trust in Providence
St. Cajetan, you founded a community that owned nothing
and lived only on what God sent.
When I worry about money and the future,
teach me to seek first the kingdom of God,
to do my part faithfully, and to trust my Father in heaven. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
Be not solicitous therefore, saying, What shall we eat: or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed?
For after all these things do the heathens seek. For your Father knoweth that you have need of all these things.
Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you.
The life of St. Cajetan
Gaetano dei Conti di Thiene was born in October 1480 in Vicenza, in northern Italy, into a noble family. He earned a doctorate in civil and canon law at the University of Padua and worked in Rome in the service of Pope Julius II. There he joined the Oratory of Divine Love, a brotherhood of clergy and laymen dedicated to prayer and works of charity, and in 1516 he was ordained a priest.
Grieved by the worldliness of many clergy, he decided to found a community of priests who would live like the apostles. In 1524, with Gian Pietro Carafa, the future Pope Paul IV, he founded the Theatines (Congregation of Clerics Regular). They gave up all property and did not even beg, living on whatever God sent through unsolicited gifts, and they worked to renew the clergy, care for the sick and preach. In Naples Cajetan helped to found a monte di pietà, a charitable lending bank that saved the poor from ruinous interest. He died in Naples on August 7, 1547, and was canonized in 1671.
San Cayetano in Argentina
Devotion to St. Cajetan as the patron of bread and work is especially strong in Argentina. Every August 7, crowds wait for hours, sometimes days, to enter the Sanctuary of San Cayetano in the Liniers neighborhood of Buenos Aires, carrying ears of wheat as a sign of their prayer for daily bread and work. Pope Francis, as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, often celebrated Mass for the pilgrims there.
Feast day and patronage
- Feast day: August 7. A novena can run from July 29 to August 6.
- Patron of: job seekers and the unemployed, workers, and the poor of Argentina.
- Symbols: an ear of wheat, the Christ Child in his arms, and the black cassock of the Theatines.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the patron saint of job seekers?
St. Cajetan (San Cayetano), along with St. Joseph the Worker.
When is the feast of St. Cajetan?
August 7.
Why is St. Cajetan shown with wheat?
The wheat stands for bread and work, the graces his devotees ask for, especially in Argentina.
What are the Theatines?
The Congregation of Clerics Regular founded by St. Cajetan in 1524 to renew the clergy through prayer, poverty and pastoral work.
More prayers
- Patron saint of gambling
- Catholic prayer for financial help
- Catholic prayer for a job
- St. Joseph’s Day: St. Joseph the Worker
- St. Matthew prayer for financial trouble
- St. Isidore the Farmer prayer
- Prayers to popular saints
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Matthew 6:31–33, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayers were written for this page.