St Luigi Scrosoppi, was an Italian Oratorian priest who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence.
He was born in August 4 1804 in Udine, Italy and died on April 3 1884 (aged 79) in Udine, Italy.
We celebrate his feast day on October 5 every year in the Catholic Church.
St Luigi Scrosoppi of Udine is the Patron Saint of Soccer and Sisters of Providence.
| St Luigi Scrosoppi Biography | |
|---|---|
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| Date of Birth | August 4 1804 |
| Place of Birth | Udine, Italy |
| Profession | Italian Oratorian priest who founded the Sisters of Providence |
| Place of Work | Italy |
| Date of Death | April 3 1884 (aged 79) |
| Place of Death | Udine, Italy |
| Feast Day | October 5 |
| Beatification | By Pope John Paul II on October 4 1981 at Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City |
| Canonization | By Pope John Paul II on June 10 2001 at Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City |
| Patron Saint of |
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St Luigi Scrosoppi of Udine Life History
Aloisius or Aloysius is another name used to refer to St. Luigi Scrosoppi of Udine.
Luigi Scrosoppi was born to Domenico Scrosoppi, a jeweler from Udine, and Antonia Lazzarini. He had two older brothers, Carlo and Giovanni Battista. When Luigi was six years old, his brother Carlo became a priest, followed by Giovanni Battista.
At the age of 11 or 12, a series of calamities including drought, famine, typhus, and smallpox struck Luigi’s home region.
The devastating sight of so much misery, poverty, and the large number of orphans had a profound and enduring impact on the young boy.
During his teenage years, Luigi Scrosoppi felt a calling to become a priest, and he joined the same seminary where his brother Giovanni was studying.
In 1826, he became a deacon, and on March 31 1827, he was ordained as a priest at the cathedral in Udine. During his first Mass, his brothers assisted him.
Luigi took on various roles throughout his life, including Director of the Pious Union of the Heart of Jesus Christ, assisting with his brother Carlo’s children’s center, becoming a Franciscan tertiary, and serving as assistant director of Carlo’s struggling orphanage in 1829.
In a time of financial hardship, Luigi resorted to begging on the streets to raise funds for the orphanage, which ultimately led to a powerful display of faith and enough money to purchase the building.
Due to the high number of orphans in need of care, the brothers made the decision to expand their existing house.
In 1834, Luigi traveled through the countryside to solicit building materials and labor, and he oversaw the project as coordinator, supervisor, beggar, and construction worker.
The construction was finished in 1836, and it was named the House for the Destitute. However, that same year, there was a cholera epidemic, resulting in the orphanages being filled to capacity once again.
The pressing needs of the orphans and the tireless efforts of the brothers caught the attention of various women in the region who were also involved in aiding the poor and abandoned.
Some of these women included Felicita Calligaris, Rosa Molinis, Caterina Bros, Cristina and Amalia Borghese, and Orsola Baldasso.
Under the guidance of Carlo and Luigi, these women established the Congregation of Sisters of Providence, which focused on teaching basic academic subjects and needlework to those in need.
Luigi entrusted the congregation to the patronage of Saint Cajetan, and after gaining final approval from Pope Blessed Pius IX on September 22 1871, it became a recognized religious organization.
In 1846, Luigi became a member of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, a religious congregation that focused on charity and education.
He was elected provost of the community on November 9 1856. In 1854, he completed work on the Rescue Home for abandoned girls, and on March 7 1857, he established a school and home for deaf-mute girls.
Regrettably, the school only remained operational for 15 years. He also founded the Providence House to provide shelter and support for his former students who were unemployed, and he devoted himself to working in hospitals, providing care for the sickest and poorest patients.
As Luigi aged, he faced challenges stemming from the anti-clerical attitudes that prevailed throughout the Italian peninsula during the country’s political unification.
As a result, many religious organizations, including the Oratory, were seized, closed down, and had their assets sold off.
Although he was unable to save the Oratory or parish property, Luigi managed to safeguard his charitable institutions and ensured that the Congregation continued to thrive and expand.
St Luigi Scrosoppi Death
Following a three-month illness, Luigi died on April 3 1884. He was laid to rest in his hometown of Udine.
Patronage
Bishop Alois Schwarz appointed Luigi Scrosoppi as the patron saint of footballers on August 22 2010. Prior to this, there was no patron saint for footballers.
The idea of appointing Scrosoppi was suggested by football fan Manfred Pesek, who was a part of the “Wörthersee Zukunftsinitiative” group.
The decision to appoint Scrosoppi was largely based on the significance of soccer for youth and the importance of promoting values such as fairness, perseverance, diligence, and determination, which are developed through sports.
In recognition of his contribution, a Canadian football club has been named Scrosoppi FC in his honor.
Beatification and Canonization
After the introduction of the cause for sainthood for Luigi Scrosoppi, Pope Paul VI granted him the title of Servant of God on February 27 1964.
Pope Paul VI declared that Scrosoppi had led a life of heroic virtue, which led to him being named Venerable on June 12 1978.
On October 4 1981, Pope John Paul II beatified Scrosoppi and later went on to canonize him as a saint on June 10 2001.
The Catholic Church recognized the healing of Peter Chungu Shitima, a terminal AIDS patient, as a miracle attributed to the intercession of Luigi Scrosoppi.
Peter was a student at the oratory of St. Philip Neri in Oudtshoorn, South Africa, when he was diagnosed with AIDS in 1996.
The religious community of the oratory prayed fervently for Scrosoppi’s intercession and, in October of that year, Peter had a dream of Scrosoppi and woke up feeling cured.
The Church considered this healing as miraculous, leading to Scrosoppi’s eventual canonization as a saint in 2001.
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