Artemides Zatti

Faithful to his promise, Artemide Zatti renounced the prospect of the priesthood to dedicate himself fully to the care of the sick as a lay brother (Salesian coadjutor). He made his first religious profession on January 11, 1908, and his perpetual vows on February 8, 1911. He began by working in the pharmacy attached to the San José Hospital in Viedma, from which he obtained his diploma as a pharmacist and nurse. Upon the death of Father Garrone in 1913, full responsibility for the establishment was entrusted to him. He became its assistant director, administrator, and head nurse. For nearly forty years, Artemide Zatti spent himself without counting the cost for the sick and the destitute of Viedma and all of Patagonia. His daily life was marked by heroic charity: every morning, he would mount his bicycle to visit the sick at home, then spend the rest of his day at the hospital. He welcomed all those who could not pay free of charge, seeing the suffering Christ in every patient. His reputation for kindness and medical competence spread rapidly. In 1950, an accidental fall from a ladder forced him to observe a period of forced rest. It was during his convalescence that the first symptoms of cancer appeared, which he diagnosed himself with lucidity. He endured the illness with admirable serenity and faith until his death, which occurred on March 15, 1951, in Viedma.

The reputation for holiness of Artémides Zatti became evident immediately upon his death. His funeral drew a vast crowd from across the region to pay tribute to the man already called the "saintly nurse of Patagonia." The diocesan process for his beatification opened in Viedma on March 22, 1980. On July 7, 1997, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, thereby declaring him Venerable. The miracle accepted for his beatification occurred on April 18, 1980. It concerns the sudden and scientifically inexplicable recovery of a young Salesian suffering from severe generalized infectious complications (septicemia) following purulent appendicitis. The second miracle, necessary for his canonization, took place in August 2016 in the Philippines. It involves the complete and rapid recovery of Renato, a father who suffered a massive right cerebellar ischemic stroke, complicated by severe hemorrhage, whose condition was deemed hopeless by doctors. After his family invoked the intercession of Blessed Artémides Zatti, the man recovered completely and permanently.

Artemide Zatti was beatified on April 14, 2002, by Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican. He thus became the first non-martyr Salesian coadjutor to be raised to the honors of the altar. On April 9, 2022, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the second miracle. The canonization ceremony took place on October 9, 2022, in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, presided over by Pope Francis.

The spirituality of Artemide Zatti is based on the spirit of Don Bosco: constant joy, tireless work, continuous prayer, and absolute trust in Providence and Mary Help of Christians. Nicknamed "the relative of all the poor," he embodied the figure of the Good Samaritan in Patagonia. His legacy remains alive through the example he offers to consecrated laypeople, particularly to Salesian coadjutor brothers. He is considered the patron saint of pharmacists, nurses, immigrants, and healthcare professionals. His mortal remains are venerated in the Saint John Bosco Church in Viedma. His nephew, Father Juan Edmundo Vecchi, was the eighth Rector Major of the Salesian Congregation.