Read the story of San Luigi Orione

Summary

Luigi Orione and Don Bosco

Luigi spent his childhood between work, a little school, educated by his mother in the practices of piety. At the age of ten he starts helping the father nel lavoro di selciatore di strade: tre anni che gli resteranno impressi e lo aiuteranno a comprendere la fatica del lavoro.

Nel 1886, per interessamento del suo parroco, andrà a Torino dove vivrà per tre anni presso l’Oratorio Valdocco di don Bosco, tanto che il Santo, cogliendo in lui le qualità, lo inserì tra i suoi prediletti: “Noi saremo sempre amici”.

In this period, moreover, he became acquainted with the charitable works of Saint Giuseppe Cottolengo, since they were close to the oratory.

The choice of the Seminar

Quando sembrava pronto per iniziare gli studi nel noviziato salesiano, decide di rientrare a casa, chiedendo di essere ammesso nel Seminario diocesano.

It was October 1889. As summer approached, he asked to be allowed to stay in the Seminary to be able to devote himself more to study: the Rector therefore organized his summer commitments for him, assigning him to service in the Cathedral. It will be during this experience that the dream that will begin to take shape in him God gli stava facendo nascere nel suo cuore: la cura cristiana dei ragazzi.

He writes: «There is a supreme need and a supreme remedy to heal the wounds of this poor homeland, so beautiful and so unhappy! Take possession of the heart and affection of the people and enlighten the youth: and spread in all the great idea of Catholic redemption with the Pope and for the Pope. Souls! Souls!".

Operò insieme alla “San Vincenzo” a favore dei poveri e mosso dalla necessità di educare i più poveri. Il Vescovo Igino Bandi, comprese che il disegno che coltivava era di ispirazione divina e concesse a Luigi il giardino dell’Episcopio per accogliere i primi ragazzi, nel luglio 1892.

The following year, on 15 October 1893, Luigi Orione, a 21-year-old cleric, opened a college in the San Bernardino district, intended for poor boys.

Louis, priest

Il 13 aprile 1895, Luigi fu ordinato sacerdote e nella medesima celebrazione il Vescovo impose l’abito clericale a sei allievi del suo collegio.

Other young men and priests began to unite around Don Luigi, who went on to create the first nucleus of what would become theLittle Work of Divine Providence.

Educational service for the little ones, preaching in parishes and squares, visits to the poor and sick, dissemination of the good press were just some of the activities that saw him engaged together with his first companions.

Little Work of Divine Providence

On March 21, 1903, Bishop Bandi recognized the male Congregation, iChildren of Divine Providence, and confirmed his charisma: «work together to bring the little ones, the poor and the people to Church and to the Pope, through works of charity», professato con un IV voto di speciale «fedeltà al Papa».

Comforted by the personal advice of Leo XIII, Don Orione set in the first Constitutions of the new Congregation of 1904, the purpose of working for «obtain the union of the separated Churches".

On the occasion of the Messina earthquake of 1908 – which caused 90,000 deaths – he rushed with a group of his friends to give hand in relief and, to ensure that people did not stay on the streets, he sent them to his homes. At Pius X's request, he remained in Messina for three years as vicar general.

In 1913 he sent his priests to Brazil, where they opened a house. He renewed the heroism of aiding earthquake victims after the cataclysm of January 13, 1915 which devastated Marsica with almost 30,000 victims.

The Little Missionary Sisters of Charity

Twenty years after the foundation of theChildren of Divine Providence, like a "single plant with many branches", on June 29, 1915, he initiated the Congregation ofLittle Missionary Sisters of Charity, and subsequently outlined a series of proposals for contemplatives and lay brothers and sisters.

Always keeping to heart the example of Don Bosco and Cottolengo, he gave rise to the "Little Cottolengos": Genoa, Milan, Buenos Aires, San Paulo of Brazil, Santiago of Chile ... intended to welcome the younger brothers,"new pulpits» to talk about Christ and Church, «beacons of faith and civilization".

The Sanctuaries

With the manual work of his clerics he raised the Sanctuaries of the Madonna della Guardia in Tortona (1931) and of the Madonna di Caravaggio in Fumo (1938).

Don Orione died on March 12, 1940, sighing: «Jesus! Jesus! I go».

He is buried in the crypt of the sanctuary of the Madonna della Guardia. His body, found intact at the first exhumation in 1965, was placed in honor in the same sanctuary.

He was proclaimed a saint May 16, 2004 by Saint John Paul II.