Joseph Cafasso


Joseph Cafasso

OFS
Print circa 1895.
Franciscan Priest
Born(1811-01-15)15 January 1811
Castelnuovo d'Asti, Asti, Kingdom of Sardinia
Died23 June 1860(1860-06-23) (aged 49)
Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church
Beatified3 May 1925, Saint Peter's Basilica, Kingdom of Italy by Pope Pius XI
Canonized22 June 1947, Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City by Pope Pius XII
Major shrineSantuario della Consolata, Turin, Italy
Feast23 June
AttributesPriest's attire
Patronage
  • Italian prisons
  • Prison chaplains
  • Prisoners
  • Those condemned to death

Joseph Cafasso (Italian: Giuseppe Cafasso; 15 January 1811 – 23 June 1860) was an Italian Catholic priest who was a significant social reformer in Turin.[1] He was one of the so-called "Social Saints" who emerged during that particular era.[2][3][4] He is known as the "Priest of the Gallows" due to his extensive work with those prisoners who were condemned to death. But he was also known for his excessive mortifications despite his frail constitution: he neglected certain foods and conditions to remain as frugal and basic as possible unless a doctor ordered otherwise.[5][6][7]

The cause for his canonization commenced after his death and led to his beatification in mid-1925 and his canonization two decades later on 22 June 1947; he is a patron for Italian prisoners and prisoners amongst other things.[5][7]

  1. ^ "Saint Giuseppe Cafasso". Saints SQPN. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  2. ^ The 'Social Saints' of Turin - at time of writing - are taken to be Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo, John Bosco, Maria Domenica Mazzarello, and Leonardo Murialdo, who took it as their task to minister to the dispossessed, marginalized and often criminal elements Turin which was in the throes of industrialization. If the movement for her beatification proves successful, Juliette Colbert de Barolo - who focused on women prisoners - could come to be added to their number.
  3. ^ Meg Hunter-Kilmer (22 June 2017). "The holy priest who left hardened sinners "weeping for joy"". Aleteia. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  4. ^ "Saint Joseph Cafasso (1811-1860)". Salesians UK. Archived from the original on 20 July 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  5. ^ a b "San Giuseppe Cafasso" (in Italian). Santi e Beati. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  6. ^ "The life of St. Joseph Cafasso". Catholic Tradition. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  7. ^ a b "St. Joseph Cafasso". Catholic Online. Retrieved 29 August 2017.