Saint Joseph Cafasso (1811–1860) was an Italian priest from Castelnuovo in Piedmont who taught moral theology and formed young priests at the Convitto Ecclesiastico in Turin, where he became the mentor and lifelong friend of Saint John Bosco. He was renowned for his ministry to prisoners and to those condemned to death, accompanying many to the scaffold with such tenderness that he was called the 'Priest of the Gallows.' He was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1947.
Joseph Cafasso shows that holiness can be quiet and steady — he never traveled far or founded great works, yet his patient confessional ministry and his love for society's most forgotten changed countless lives. He reminds us that no one is beyond God's mercy, and that walking faithfully beside the suffering, right to the end, is one of the purest forms of love.
Saint Joseph Cafasso, friend of prisoners and guide of souls, teach us to trust God's mercy without limit and to stay near those who suffer. Amen.Enter today’s Mass → All saints →