Gaetan was born on October 1480 at Vicenza, city between Milan and Venice, known for the cloths of cotton and silk, and proud to be part of the Venice republic. He was son of Gaspare, count of Thiene and of Maria di Porto, from the nobility of Vicenza. It is said that before his birth his mother, who her pregmency time was passed, could not gave birth until she went down in the house basement, which served as a stable. Therefore, Gaetan was born like Christ.
Gaetan was the second from three brothers. He was given the name of Gaetan for his uncle, monsignor known for his brave, which from his side he was named Gaetan because he was from Gaeta. His big brother was Giovanni Battista and Alessandro, his smaller brother.
Everything was well for Thiene family until count Gaspare was killed in battle which Vicenza had against the reign of Naples. Fortunately the three brothers found a mother who knows how to love and adopt her children in a good way.
About his juvenile we know little but we know that he learned under the lecturares living in his house - as it was the tradition. We also know that he had a great heart for the poor, which he helped with great generosity.
As he finished his studies at Vicenza, he went to Padova at the oldest Italian University. It was here that he, for the first time, had felt the devotion of becoming a priest. But in his umilty he felt that he was not dignity for that high class. He carried this thought until he was thirty-six, when he became a priest.
He studied for four years at Padova, where he graduated in theology, presbytery and civil rules. When he finished his studies he went to Rampazzo, a small village propriety of his family, where he lived a contemplative live. But when he became aware of the scarcity religious knowledge in the village he began to teach them catechism. From his money he built a church, in this village, bigger from the one they had. In a short period the citizens of Rampazzo began to love him, and they were very disappointed when he left Rampazzo, without saying nothing, to go and work at Rome
Although he was from a noble family he always searched poor families and sick people in hospital. But Pope Julius II immediately became aware of the good qualities in Gaetan and gave him the position of Apostolic Promontory. It was now that the devotion to become a priest came again. On 6 January, 1517, after a retreat of three months he celebrated hi first mass in the church dedicated to "Santa Maria Maggiore".
On Christmas of 1517, sometime before the he celebrated the mass, Geatan was preying in the church of "Santa Maria Maggiore" exactly in the chapel of the crib. When at a moment the Virgin Mary appiered and gave him baby Jesus in his hands. This view was repeated on Epiphany and Circumcision.
In 1518 the countess Maria, Gaetan's mother, felt sick and Gaetan went back to assist his mother in Vicenza. He gave her the last sacrament when she died on August, 1518.
At Vicenza Gaetan joined the Oratory of Saint Jeremy, which was founded by him, where he collected the most poor people of the city. In Vicenza he stayed for three years and then went to Verona, where he founded a confraternity like that of Vicenza.
The Pope, on 24 May, 1524, approved that the order of Saint Gaetan will have a rule to live in strictly poverty without asking for any help. At first Pope Clement VII found difficulty to approve and told them that they were pretending too much from God, to make a miracle with them to be able to live. But Gaetan came up with the famous sentence: "Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important they they?" (Ev. Mt. 6:26). The Pope lightened by this sentence approved their rule.
The bishop Carafa, was the first General Superior, that although he resigned from the diocese of Chieti he continued to carry her title in Latin "Theate". It is from here that the Clergy of Saint Gaetan got the name of "Teatini". The scope of the community was to teach, take care of the sicks, and encourage people for confession and to receive the Holy Communion regularly.
The congregation of "Theatini" growth slowly. The disaster of 1527, could have been its ruin and that of Gaetan's life. At that time the army of of the Empire Carl V attacked Rome and gave birth to a great disaster. The Letheran soldiers distroyed and stolen everything from the churches. One of them, who at the past was one of the slaves of Thiene family, told his friends to attack Gaetan on the "Pincio" hill where the "Theatini" had there house. The idea was to steel Gaetan but when nothing was found they caught Gaetan and beat his friends, forced them out of the house and then undressed Gaetan, put him in a big box, where fortunately did not cut him in two, afterwards tied him together with a beam and they began to lift him up and leave him fall from the high place they could reach. After the Lutheran soldiers done a disaster they left. The "Theaetini", then, left Vicenza and went Rome where they were welcomed by their friends.
When in 1530 Carafa left his position of Superior, Gaetan - against is will - was selected as the Superior. He went to Naples where he was welcomed by count Opido, who gave his house to Gaetan and his friends to stay at. The count offered to Gaetan a piece of land free but it was not accepted.
In 1547 a civil war started at Naples. Gaetan, with his heart broken, went in front of the Sacrament. Gaetan offered his life to stop this war and God heard his prey. In summer of the same year, now old, Gaetan felt his strength weakness and felt sick with a short illness but with great pains. To be similar to Christ even in dead he died on some beams. He died on Sunday 7 August, 1547, at seven o'clock in the evening at the age of 67 years. Something strange is that on his died the peace in Naples came again. He was forgotten for 72 years and on 8 October, 1620 he was canonized and on 12 April, 1671 he was declared Saint by Pope Clement X.
