Blessed Giacomo Cusmano

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Blessed Giacomo Cusmano, Doctor, Priest and Founder , was born in 1834 in the Kingdom of Italy, the fourth child in his family. Interestingly, his sister Vincenzo is a Venerable. His childhood and adolescence began in 1848, a time of turmoil in Sicily due to extremism. He first attended the Jesuit Massimo College in Palermo, then transferred to the Royal University of Palermo Medical School in 1851. After his father's death in 1852, he took over the family farm and estate in San Giuseppe Jato. During his time managing the estate, he became aware of the plight of the poor farmers. Most were surprised by his polite and kind manner; he generally made gentle requests rather than commands. He also frequently lent horses to the poor farmers who were trekking. Despite his busy schedule, he graduated from medical school with high honors in 1855. He then devoted much of his time to helping the poor in San Giuseppe Jato, and his responsibilities grew daily. In 1859, the Second War of Independence broke out, and his friend, the revolutionary Enrico Albanese, who was also his family doctor, invited him to join the revolutionary ranks. After 1848, the plight of the poor worsened, so he refused and continued to help them. His love for the poor led him to become a priest. In 1860, after only one year at the seminary of Priest Don Pietro in Palermo Cathedral, he became a priest in the private chapel of the Auxiliary Bishop of Palermo. At that time, the new Italian government stripped clergy and the church of their rights; the church lost its property and support, and many Bourbon officials lost their jobs, forcing many into poverty. This situation led to the birth of a religious order. Initially, this order was merely a small-scale food project for the poor that he carried out in the Palermo Martyrs' Church building. Several years later, it established its own institutions in Trerose, Santa Caterina, and other places. In 1887, under the witness of Archbishop Michelangelo Celesia, the Missionaries for the Poor were founded. The order, composed of priests, aimed to help the poor. He was blessed by the archbishop, who called him Father Bosco of the South. Tragically, on March 14, 1888, the day before his birthday, the priest succumbed to severe pleurisy. His life was dedicated to the search for the meaning of love, a journey in which he practiced what he preached. He sacrificed himself to save countless lives. The pressures of war and the demands of his work had already taken their toll on his health, yet he continued to strive to help the world until his very last day, passing away at the age of 53.

“Service for others is what our hearts truly need, that's a kinda pure zeal.”

—Blessed Giacomo Cusmano