Luigi Guanella
Servant of Charity (1842-1915)
Feast: 24 October (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Luigi Guanella was born at Fraciscio, Campodolcino, in the diocese of Como, on 19 December 1842 to exemplary Christian parents who worked the land and kept flocks. He was ordained on 26 May 1866 and the next year became parish priest of Savogno.
He founded the Servants of Charity and the Daughters of St Mary of Providence to care for the poorest and most afflicted and provide for their salvation.
The miracles
The Dicastery's biography does not describe the miracles approved in the cause.
Why that counted as sanctity
A mountain priest who founded religious families to care for the poorest and most afflicted.
Connected on this site
- Chiara Bosatta Blessed“Bosatta co-founded – alongside her sister and Luigi Guanella – the Daughters of Saint Mary of Providence – and managed the order in her hometown and the surrounding areas.” — Wikipedia
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - biography: Luigi Guanella
- Wikidata Q1876202 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Luigi Guanella (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.