Saint Luigi Maria Palazzolo

Biography

Saint Luigi Maria Palazzolo, also known as Palazzolino, was born on 10 December 1827 in Bergamo, Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, which is now modern-day Italy. He was the youngest of eight boys born to Octavius and Theresa Antoine Palazzolo. Unfortunately, Luigi's father passed away when he was around 10 years old, leaving the family to face the challenges of life without him. Luigi's spiritual journey began to take shape when he was ordained as a priest in the diocese of Bergamo, Italy on 23 June 1850. As a parish priest, he had the opportunity to interact with children who were abandoned or orphaned, some of whom were living on their own. Luigi's compassionate nature moved him to take these children under his care, providing them with love, support, and shelter until he could find them caring and safe placements. Driven by his deep desire to help neglected children, Luigi founded the Little House of Divine Providence. This institution was dedicated to providing care and nurturing to those children who had been abandoned by society. Recognizing the specific needs of abandoned girls, he also established the Work of Saint Dorothy home. Furthermore, Luigi founded a congregation known as the Brothers of the Sacred Family, with the aim of serving the vulnerable and marginalized in society. While this congregation unfortunately died out in 1928, its impact during its existence cannot be understated, particularly in the lives of those it reached out to. Additionally, Luigi collaborated with Venerable Maria Teresa Gabrieli in founding the Sisters of the Poor, also known as the Poverelle Sisters or the Palazzolo Institute, on 22 May 1869. This congregation was dedicated to caring for and educating neglected girls. The Sisters received papal approval from Pope Pius X on 25 May 1912 and continue their crucial work to this day, serving communities in Brazil, Burkina Faso, Congo, Italy, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Peru, and Switzerland. Not content with merely establishing institutions, Luigi also felt called to open an orphanage in Traona, Italy on 4 October 1872. This further demonstrated his commitment to alleviating the suffering of abandoned and vulnerable children. Throughout his life, Luigi battled respiratory problems, which eventually required him to sleep in a sitting position during his final year. In the early hours of 15 June 1886, he passed away in Bergamo, Italy due to natural causes. It is said that during his final moments, he repeatedly murmured the name of "Jesus Christ." He was laid to rest in the cemetery of San Giorgio in Bergamo but was later re-interred at the mother-house of the Poverelle Sisters on 4 January 1904. Luigi's holiness and remarkable work did not go unnoticed. Pope John XXIII recognized his heroic virtues on 7 July 1962. On 19 March 1963, during a beatification ceremony held in the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome, Pope John XXIII officially beatified him. The beatification process included the acknowledgment of two miracles attributed to Luigi's intercession: the healing of a young Sardinian woman with peritonitis and tuberculosis in 1956 and the recovery of a 65-year-old woman from a severe head injury that left her comatose in 1959. Finally, after years of veneration and continued recognition of his intercession, Saint Luigi Maria Palazzolo was canonized on 15 May 2022 by Pope Francis. The canonization miracle involved the healing of Sister Gianmarisa Perani, who had joined the Poverelle Sisters in 1950. After facing a life-threatening situation caused by complications from surgery in 2015, she made a remarkable recovery as a result of the prayers offered for Luigi's intercession. Today, Saint Luigi Maria Palazzolo is remembered as a model of love, compassion, and selflessness. He is the patron saint of the Sisters of the Poor, who continue his noble work in caring for and educating neglected girls.