Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo
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Saint Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo (3 May 1786 – 30 April 1842) was the founder of the Societies of the Little House of Divine Providence and is a saint of the Catholic Church.
He was born in Bra, then in the Kingdom of Sardinia, and became a canon in Turin. Cottolengo founded the Little House of the Divine Providence in Valdocco, wherein he housed all kinds of poor people. He also founded monasteries, convents, communities of priests, communities of brothers, and organised groups of lay volunteers. His colossal of charity stands today at the heart of Turin city as sign of what it means to love and serve others in evangelical way.
Today Cottolengo Fathers, Sisters, and Brothers still work together in activities primarily geared at communicating God's love for the poorest. They are spread out all over the world: Italy, Switzerland, India, Ecuador, Kenya, and Tanzania. Cottolengo died in Chieri. He was canonized in 1934, and his feast day is 29 April.
Joseph Benedict Cottolengo was recently enlisted among the saints of charity by pope Benedict XVI in his encyclical Deus Caritas Est.
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