Joseph Cafasso, Saint

JOSEPH CAFASSO, Saint. - Born on 16 January 1811 at Castelnuovo d'Asti and died at Turin on 23 January 1860. He pursued his ecclesiastical studies at the Seminary of Chieri, and was ordained a priest in 1833. Distinguished for his intellect, piety and morals, he entered in 1834 the Convitto ecclesiastico of Turin (v.), where the theologian Luigi Guala (v.) held conferences on moral theology, interpreting the teachings of St. Alphonsus, against the Jansenist rigors still alive in Piedmont. From 1836 he himself exercised this office there, first as private tutor, then as rector of the Convitto and as teacher of Alphonsian theology and sacred eloquence, distinguishing himself by solidity of doctrine and practical effectiveness in teaching. Among his numerous pupils, through whom he contributed greatly to the intellectual and spiritual renewal of the clergy, is numbered St. John Bosco, his first biographer. He also distinguished himself in the spiritual direction of souls, in giving spiritual exercises, especially to the noble and cultured laity, and in the assistance of the dying. He assisted in particular prisoners and those condemned to the gallows, so much so as to be called the priest of the gallows. He was beatified by Pius XI in 1925 and canonized in 1947 by Pius XII; he is the patron of prison chaplains. After his death his Meditazioni and Istruzioni al clero were published.

The Act of Acceptance of Death, which he was accustomed to practice every month, bears his name. Feast day on 23 January.

Luigi Castano