Saint Leonardo Murialdo

Saint Leonardo Murialdo, CSI (26 October 1828 – 30 March 1900), was an Italian Catholic priest and co-founder of the Congregation of Saint Joseph, also known as the Murialdines. His call to the priesthood did not manifest until late in his education in Savona; he pursued ecclesial studies and was ordained in 1851 before dedicating himself to social work alongside the poor and with adolescent men. This placed him in contact with other notable priests of the era such as Giovanni Bosco and Giuseppe Cafasso, who held Murialdo in great esteem for his zeal for social concern and advocacy against worker exploitation. He died in 1900, leaving behind a reputation for deep personal holiness. The cause for his canonization opened under Pope Benedict XV in 1921, with Pope John XXIII later confirming his heroic virtue and naming him Venerable in 1961. Pope Paul VI beatified Murialdo in late 1963 and canonized him just under a decade later in 1970.