March 30: Saint Leonard Murialdo
Living for the Young
A life dedicated to serving poor and abandoned youth, in order to transmit the faith and allow them to experience Christian charity: this was the life of Saint Leonard Murialdo. Born in Turin, Italy on October 26, 1828, into a simple family, at the age of eight he was sent to a boarding school in Savona run by the Piarist Fathers, where he remained from 1836 to 1843.
During adolescence he experienced an existential and spiritual crisis, after which he returned to his family and completed his studies in Turin, enrolling in the two-year university philosophy program. Later, after a conversion and the discovery of God’s love, he felt a vocation to the priesthood and, on September 20, 1851, he was ordained a priest.
He served as a catechist at the Oratory of the Guardian Angel until 1857, when he met Don Bosco, who invited him to take charge of directing the Oratory of Saint Louis at Porta Nuova, a position he held from 1857 to 1865. Those experiences marked his entire life - he understood the need to help poor boys who lacked education and formation. In fact, he thus discovered the roots of serious social problems of Turin at that time. He personally visited the homes of poor families, continued catechetical instruction, opened schools, and involved young people in recreational activities to get them off the streets.
In 1866 Leonard began working with the young people of the Artigianelli boarding school in Turin. In order to respond to the needs of poor and abandoned boys and to provide them with education and training, in 1873 he founded the Pious Society of Saint Joseph (the Josephites of Murialdo). In the following years he promoted a family home, the agricultural colony of Rivoli for the Christian and professional formation of young farmers, youth oratories, and various educational initiatives. He also promoted the Catholic press and was active in the Opera dei Congressi and the Catholic Workers’ Union.
Leonard Murialdo died in Turin on March 30, 1900. Pope Paul VI canonized him on May 3, 1970.