Luigi Maria Palazzolo
| Blessed Luigi Maria Palazzolo | |
|---|---|
| Priest | |
| Born | 10 December 1827 Bergamo, Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia |
| Died | 15 June 1886 (aged 58) Bergamo, Kingdom of Italy |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 19 March 1963, Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City by Pope John XXIII |
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Blessed Luigi Maria Palazzolo (10 December 1827 - 15 June 1886) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest. He established the Sisters of the Poor which was also known as the Palazzolo Institute. Other contributions include the construction of an orphanage for children in Traona and also the Little House of Divine Providence. He also worked for the poor and the outcast until his death.
He was beatified on 19 March 1963 on the account of his well-known holiness and is considered a patron of the Diocese of Bergamo.
Luigi Maria Palazzolo was born in Bergamo on 10 December 1827 as the last of eight brothers to Octavius Palazzolo and Theresa Antoine. He had a childhood of lavishness in the sense that his parents could provide for their children to a manageable degree and owned land and houses across Bergamo and in San Pellegrino Terme where his father hailed from. During this time Palazzolo's brothers died and his father died on 8 August 1837. Due to his naïve disposition as a child and his wit he was often dubbed "Palazzolino" during his life.
Palazzolo commenced his studies for the priesthood in 1844 and on 23 June 1850 he was ordained to the priesthood under the Bishop of Bergamo Gritti Morlacchi. He became involved in the apostolate of San Alessandro in Colonna and then in the church of San Bernardino of which in 1855 he became rector. Personal loss struck once more on 10 September 1862 with the death of his mother. On 4 October 1872 he established an orphanage in Traona: this institution became extinct in 1928.
In 1864 he travelled along a lane in a popular suburb and encountered a half-naked child who was an orphan. Palazzolo wrapped his cloak around him and took him with him to clean and feed him. He kept the child to care for him to ensure he did not remain abandoned. He became a member of a Catholic group in 1868 and he offered rooms for meetings. In 1869 he came across a crippled and lame girl - he took her in also and enrolled her into the new women's religious institute that he had founded. He recorded in his journal that he attempted "to do something as much as I can" to ensure others could have an easier life. One of the people he encountered and befriended was Maria Teresa Gabrieli - the future Servant of God - who became a member of his order.
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