Blessed Ferdinando Santamaria

Blessed Ferdinando Santamaria, also known as Grimoaldo of the Purification, was born on 4 May 1883 in Pontecorvo, Frosinone, Italy. He was the oldest of five children in a family where his father ran a successful rope-making business. From a young age, Ferdinando had a deep attraction to the religious life and felt a strong desire to dedicate his life to God.