ST. JOSEPH CAFASSO

Pope Pius XI, on 1st November 1924, while approving the miracles for the canonisation of St. John Mary Vianney and publishing the decree of authorisation for the beatification of Cafasso, approached these two figures of priests with the following words: “Not without a special and beneficial disposition of the Divine Goodness have we witnessed this rising on the horizon of the Catholic Church of new stars, the Parish Priest of Ars and the Venerable Servant of God Joseph Cafasso. Precisely these two beautiful, beloved, providentially opportune figures had to be presented to us today; small and humble, poor and simple, but equally glorious the figure of the parish priest of Ars, and the other beautiful, great, complex, rich figure of a priest, teacher and formator of priests, the Venerable Joseph Cafasso”.

These circumstances offer us the opportunity to get to know the message, alive and relevant, that emerges from the life of this saint. He was not a parish priest like the Curé d'Ars, but was above all a formator of parish priests and diocesan priests, indeed of saintly priests, including St. John Bosco. He did not, like the other holy priests of 19th century Piedmont, found religious institutes, because his ‘foundation’ was the ‘school of life and priestly holiness’ that he realised, through example and teaching, in the ‘Convitto Ecclesiastico di San Francesco d'Assisi’ in Turin. Joseph Cafasso was born at Castelnuovo d'Asti, the same village as St. John Bosco, on 15th January 1811. He was the third of four children. Lastly, his sister Marianna was to be the mother of Blessed Giuseppe Allamano, founder of the Missionaries of the Consolata. He was born in 19th century Piedmont characterised by serious social problems, but also by many saints who were committed to remedying them. They were bound together by a total love for Christ and a deep charity towards the poorest: the Lord's grace can spread and multiply the seeds of holiness! Cafasso completed his secondary studies and the two-year philosophy course at the college in Chieri and, in 1830, passed to the Theological Seminary, where he was ordained a priest in 1833. Four months later, he entered the place that for him would remain the fundamental and only ‘stage’ of his priestly life: the ‘Convitto Ecclesiastico di San Francesco d'Assisi’ in Turin.

Having perfect pastoral skills, here he put his talents as a spiritual director and a great spirit of charity to good use. In fact, the ‘convitto’ was not only a school of moral theology where young priests, mainly from the countryside, learned to hear confessions and preach, but it was also a true school of priestly life, where priests were trained in the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola and in the moral and pastoral theology of the great bishop St. Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori. The type of priest that Cafasso met at the Convitto and that he himself helped to strengthen - especially as rector - was that of the true pastor with a rich interior life and a deep zeal in pastoral care: faithful to prayer, committed to preaching, catechesis, dedicated to the celebration of the Eucharist and the ministry of Confession, according to the model embodied by St. Charles Borromeo, St. Francis de Sales and promoted by the Council of Trent.

A felicitous expression of St. John Bosco sums up the meaning of the educational work in that Community: At the Convitto, one learned to be a priest. St. Joseph Cafasso sought to realise this model in the formation of young priests so that, in turn, they would become formators of other priests, religious and lay people, according to a special and effective chain. From his chair of moral theology, he educated people to be good confessors and spiritual directors, concerned for the true spiritual good of the person, animated by great balance in making God's mercy felt and, at the same time, a keen and vivid sense of sin. Three were the main virtues of the Cafasso the teacher, as St. John Bosco recalls: calmness, shrewdness and prudence. For him the test of the teaching he transmitted was the ministry of confession, to which he himself devoted many hours of the day. Bishops, priests, religious, eminent lay people and simple people flocked to him: to all he knew how to offer the necessary time. Of many, then, who became saints and founders of religious institutes, he was a wise spiritual counsellor.

His teaching was never abstract, based only on the books that were in use at the time, but stemmed from the living experience of God's mercy and the profound knowledge of the human soul acquired in the long time spent in the confessional and in spiritual direction: his was a true school of priestly life. His secret was simple: to be a man of God; to do, in small daily actions, ‘what can return to the greater glory of God and to the benefit of souls’. He loved the Lord totally, was animated by a deep-rooted faith, sustained by profound and prolonged prayer, and lived a sincere charity towards all. He knew moral theology, but he was equally well acquainted with the situations and hearts of the people, whose good he cared for like the Good Shepherd.

Those who had the grace to be close to him were transformed into good shepherds and good confessors. He clearly indicated to all priests the holiness to be achieved precisely in the pastoral ministry. Blessed Fr. Clement Marchisio, founder of the Daughters of St. Joseph, used to say: “I entered the seminary being a great mischief-maker and a reckless leader, without knowing what it meant to be a priest, and I came out quite different, fully understood of the dignity of the priest”. How many priests were formed by him in the seminary and then followed spiritually!

Among them - as I have already said - stands out St. John Bosco who had him as his spiritual director for 25 years, from 1835 to 1860: first as a cleric, then as a priest and finally as founder. All the fundamental choices in the life of St. John Bosco had St. Joseph Cafasso as his counsellor and guide, but in a very precise way: Cafasso never sought to form in Don Bosco a disciple ‘in his own image and likeness’ and Don Bosco did not copy Cafasso; he certainly imitated him in his human and priestly virtues - calling him a ‘model of priestly life’, but according to his own personal aptitudes and his own particular vocation; a sign of the wisdom of the spiritual master and the intelligence of the disciple: the former did not impose himself on the latter, but respected him in his personality and helped him read what God's will was for him. With simplicity and depth, our saint stated: “All holiness, perfection and profit of a person lies in doing perfectly the will of God [...]. Happy would we be if we could so pour our heart into God's, so unite our desires, our will to His that we form one heart and one will: to will what God wills, to will it in that way, at that time, in those circumstances that He wills, and to will all this for no other reason than that God wills it”.

But another element characterises the ministry of our saint: attention to the least, especially to prisoners, who in 19th century in Turin lived in inhuman and dehumanising places. Even in this delicate service, carried out for more than twenty years, he was always the good shepherd, understanding and compassionate: a quality perceived by the inmates, who ended up being won over by that sincere love whose origin was God himself. Cafasso's simple presence did good: it calmed, touched hearts hardened by the vicissitudes of life and above all enlightened and shook indifferent consciences.

In the early days of his ministry among prisoners, he often resorted to long sermons that reached almost the entire prison population. With the passage of time, he favoured simple catechesis, given in interviews and personal encounters. Respectful of each person's circumstances, he addressed the major themes of Christian life, speaking of trust in God, adherence to His will, the usefulness of prayer and the sacraments, the culmination of which is Confession, the encounter with God who has become infinite mercy for us. Those condemned to death were the focus of very special human and spiritual care. After hearing their confessions and administering the Eucharist to them, he accompanied 57 condemned men to the gallows. He accompanied them with deep love until the last breath of their earthly existence. He died on 23rd June 1860, after a life offered entirely to the Lord and consumed for his neighbour.

On 9th April 1948, the Venerable Servant of God Pope Pius XII proclaimed him patron saint of Italian prisons and, with the Apostolic Exhortation Menti nostrae, on 23rd September 1950, proposed him as a model for priests engaged in Confession and spiritual direction. (This profile was given as the catechesis of Benedict XVI - General Audience, 30 June 2010).

Prayer

Beloved St. Joseph Cafasso, you who were an apostle of the imprisoned and condemned to death, the formator of priests and consoler of the poor, grant that those who lead a life of misery may feel the love of God close to them. We entrust to you especially those who have the prison of sin in their hearts or who are imprisoned because of their errors; intercede for all sincere repentance and the power of God's mercy. Intercede for us the gift of sincere faith, of a living hope, of faithful charity. Obtain for us from the Lord, through your powerful intercession, the graces our life needs.

Amen

Fr. Pier Luigi Cameroni Sdb