In the cradle of Cremona, where Lombardy’s heart beats,
A saintly tale unfolds, through church hymns and quiet streets.
A man named Anthony, born under the stars’ acclaim,
Heavenly whispers echoed, Maria Zaccaria was his name.
Born to nobles, in chambers rich and vast,
Yet in his heart, he held the humble and outcast.
A doctor by training, he healed bodies and souls,
Yet higher callings beckoned, towards loftier roles.
Within him a fervor, a holy fire did burn,
A desire to reform, the church’s fate to discern.
Anthony saw, through a sacred visionary’s gaze,
A faith turned rigid, in the world’s altering haze.
In the heart of Milan, in a world cloaked in strife,
Anthony yearned to bestow, a new spiritual life.
He founded the Barnabites, under Saint Paul’s mantle they thrive,
To nurture the city’s faith, to keep God’s word alive.
Angelic Sisters of Saint Paul, and the Laity of Saint Paul,
His spiritual family grew, answering the divine call.
Anthony, their leader, yet in service he kneeled,
In the humble acts of love, God’s face revealed.
In the tumult of change, his heart remained strong,
Serenaded by prayer, a ceaseless celestial song.
His life, a testament, to the divine’s enduring call,
Anthony Maria Zaccaria, a saint revered by all.
His legacy persists, in the bells that chime,
In hearts touched by grace, transcending space and time.
From Cremona to the world, his message unfurls,
A beacon of love, in a world of whirling swirls.
Anthony, beloved saint, of Cremona’s blessed land,
Your spirit echoes still, in every grain of sand.
In each prayer whispered, in every act of grace,
We see the reflection, of your saintly embrace.