Saint of the Day Online - St Joseph Cafasso

Saint of the Day for Friday, June 23, 2017

Saint Name: St Joseph Cafasso
Place: Asti, Kingdom of Sardinia
Birth: 1811
Death: 1947
Feast: 23 June

St Joseph Cafasso who was born on 15 January 1811  was an Italian Catholic priest, a significant social reformer in early 19th-century Turin. He was one of the so-called "Social Saints" of the city who emerged during that era.

He studied at the seminary at Turin and was ordained in 1833. He continued his theological studies at the seminary and university at Turin and then at the Institute of St. Franics, and despite a deformed spine, became a brilliant lecturer in moral theology there. He was a popular teacher, actively opposed Jansenism, and fought state intrusion into Church affairs. He succeeded Luigi Guala as rector of the Institute in 1848 and made a deep impression on his young priest students with his holiness and insistence on discipline and high standards. He was a sought-after confessor and spiritual adviser, and ministered to prisoners, working to improve their terrible conditions. 

Cafasso was also a noted confessor and spiritual director, who guided many men and women who would go on to found new religious institutions or congregations which would help the Catholic Church to meet the needs of both Italy and the whole world. Among them was John Bosco, the Servant of God Giulia Falletti di Barolo, who became noted for her advocacy of women prisoners, and the Blessed Francesco Faà di Bruno. Additionally, Cafasso was known for his extensive ministry in the local prisons and served as the comforter of those condemned to the death penalty, so that he was called "The Priest of the Gallows".

He met Don Bosco in 1827 and the two became close friends. It was through Joseph's encouragement that Bosco decided his vocation was working with boys. Joseph was his adviser, worked closely with him in his foundations, and convinced others to fund and found religious institutes and charitable organizations. Joseph died on June 23 at Turin and was canonized in 1947. His feast day is June 23rd.