Saint of the Day 12/April
Saint of the Day (April 12) ✠ St. Zeno, Bishop of Verona ✠ Born : 300 Mauretania Died : 12 April 371 (aged 71-72) Verona Major shrine : Basilica of San Zeno, Verona Feast : 12 April; 21 May (translation of relics) Attributes : fish, fishing rod, or a bishop holding a fishing rod, or with a fish hanging from his crozier. Patronage : Fishermen, anglers, newborn babies, Verona, Campione d'Italia A Veronese author named Coronato, who was a notary in the 7th century, claimed that Zeno was a native of Mauretania who taught children of Africa about the Catholic religion and also helped them with their education. [a] Another claim was that Zeno was a follower of Athanasius, patriarch of Alexandria, and accompanied his master when the latter visited Verona in 340. The literary style of the more than 90 Sermones attributed to Zeno is also considered evidence of his African origins, since Christian African writers of the time frequently used neologisms and wordplay. Many of the S...