GIUSEPPE CAFASSO, saint. - B. 16 Jan. 1811 at Castelnuovo d'Asti, d. at Torino, 23 Jan. 1860. He pursued his ecclesiastical studies at the Seminary of Chieri and was ordained priest in 1833. Distinguished for
intellect, piety, and conduct, in 1834 he TEORIANO (v.), where the theologian Luigi Guala (v.) gave lectures on moral theology, interpreting the teachings of St. Alfonso against the Jansenist rigorism still prevalent in Piemonte. From 1836 he himself carried out this office there, first as a private tutor, then as rector of the Convitto and teacher of Alphonsian theology and sacred eloquence, distinguishing himself by the soundness of his doctrine and the practical effectiveness of his teaching. Among his numerous pupils, through whom he contributed greatly to the intellectual and spiritual renewal of the clergy, was St. Giovanni Bosco, his first biographer. He also distinguished himself in the spiritual direction of souls, in giving spiritual exercises, especially to the noble and cultivated laity, and in assisting the dying. He gave particular assistance to prisoners and those condemned to the scaffold, so much so that he came to be called the priest of the gallows. He was beatified by Pio XI in 1925 and canonized in 1947 by Pio XII; he is patron of prison chaplains. After his death, his Meditations and Instructions to the Clergy were published.
The Act of Acceptance of Death, which he customarily performed every month, bears his name. Feast day: 23 Jan.