SAINT ZENO

Since – as I said before – God doesn’t answer to prayers of request for something because it would make it impossible for the whole world not to believe in His existence and therefore ask for the stop of all wars and cure for i.e. the cancer, I just asked to my dear mother to start praying for Saint Zeno for whom a beautiful church was built hundreds of years ago not far from where she lives now.

Zeno of Verona (Italian: Zenone da Verona; about 300 – 371 or 380) was either an early Christian Bishop of Verona or a martyr. He is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

According to a Veronese author named Coronato, a notary of the 7th century, Zeno was a native of North Africa, from Mauretania (northern Morocco and Algeria). He taught many children of Africa about the Catholic religion and he also helped them with their school work. The children could rely on someone who could help them. Another theory is that Zeno was a follower of Athanasius, patriarch of Alexandria, who accompanied his master when the latter visited Verona in 340

The style of the 90 or so Sermones attributed to Zeno has also been considered evidence of his African origins due to its literary style, since Christian African writers of the time frequently used neologisms and wordplay. Many of the Sermones concern Old Testament exegesis and "have a definite anti-Semitic element in them".

Staying in the city, Zeno entered the monastic life, living as a monk until around 362, when he was elected successor to the See of Verona after the death of Bishop Gricinus (Cricinus, Cricino).

Zeno had "received a good classical education", and as bishop baptized many people, won converts back from Arianism, lived a life of poverty, trained priests to work in the diocese, set up a convent for women, reformed how the Agape feast was celebrated, and forbade funeral masses being accompanied by attendees' loud groans and wailing. Zeno’s other reforms included instructions concerning adult baptism (which occurred by complete immersion) and issuing medals to people newly baptized to the Catholic faith.

Zeno is the patron saint of fishermen and anglers, the city of Verona, newborn babies as well as children learning to speak and walk. Some 30 churches or chapels have been dedicated to him, including Pistoia Cathedral.

The bronze doorways of the Basilica in Verona depict, besides stories from the Bible, the miracles of Saint Zeno. These depictions were drawn from stories, including those recorded by the notary Coronato.

Zeno is most often represented with fishing-related items such as a fish, fishing rod, or as a bishop holding a fishing rod, or with a fish hanging from his crozier. "Local tradition says the bishop was fond of fishing in the nearby river Adige," writes Alban Butler, "but it is more likely that originally it was a symbol of his success in bringing people to baptism.

So who knows? Maybe this black Saint will listen to my mother’s prayers, now that the president of the USA is black too; I see some kind of hopeful connection in this, even if I’ve been sending messages to Obama to include me in any stem cell clinical trial for TBI without a response ever.
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http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=2078