Luigi Maria Palazzolo

Luigi Maria Palazzolo was born on 10 December 1827 in Bergamo, Italy, to Ottavio Palazzolo and Teresa Antoine. The youngest of nine children, who passed away one after the other, he found in his mother a wise and loving teacher. As a teenager, he would visit the sick in the hospital and in private homes, bringing them food from his own lunch and dinner and sometimes giving them money. His generous actions set the tone for what would be a life full of charity and holiness. On 23 June 1850, after completing his studies, he was ordained a priest. Fr Luigi chose to dedicate himself to young people, especially those in his town’s largest and poorest parish centre. He soon became director of the centre and used his own inheritance to expand it. When his spiritual director, Msgr Alessandro Valsecchi, asked him to minister to young women, Fr ...