15 Facts About Gaetano Catanoso

Gaetano Catanoso was an Italian Catholic priest and the founder of the Suore Veroniche del Santo Volto.

Gaetano Catanoso founded the Poor Clerics to encourage vocations to the priesthood while forming the Confraternita del Santo Volto to spread devotion to the Face of Jesus.

Gaetano Catanoso dedicated his pastoral career to bringing the Gospel message to all people and hiked or rode on a mule to reach distant and surrounding mountain villages in order to evangelize to people.

Gaetano Catanoso was born in 1879 to prosperous landowners in Reggio Calabria as the third of eight children of Antonio Catanoso and Antonia Tripodi.

Gaetano Catanoso received his ordination to the priesthood on 20 September 1902 from Cardinal Gennaro Portanova and served as a parish priest for his entire ecclesial life; from 1902 until March 1904 he served as the prefect of seminarians.

Gaetano Catanoso was passionate about emulating the life of Jesus Christ in his service to the poor and would hike or ride on a mule to the distant and surrounding mountain villages to bring the message of the Gospel and hope to isolated people in desperate circumstances.

Gaetano Catanoso founded the Poor Clerics to encourage vocations to the priesthood.

Gaetano Catanoso was transferred to the larger parish of Santa Maria de la Candelaria in Reggio Calabria on 2 February 1921.

Gaetano Catanoso was a close friend of Annibale Maria di Francia and Luigi Orione whom he had met in 1918.

Gaetano Catanoso had a deep devotion to the Face of Christ and to that end formed the "Confraternita del Santo Volto" in 1919.

Gaetano Catanoso revived Marian and Eucharistic devotions and improved catechesis while working for the observance of liturgical feasts.

Gaetano Catanoso worked for cooperation among local priests to provide missions via preaching and hearing confessions in each other's parishes.

Gaetano Catanoso often spent long hours in silent reflection before the Tabernacle and he promoted Eucharistic Adoration among the faithful.

Gaetano Catanoso died on 4 April 1963 and his final words were recorded as: "In te, Domine, speravi, Gesu, Maria, Giuseppe"; he had become ill and blind before his death though he still welcomed those who came to visit him and seek his counsel.

On 3 March 1990 he was proclaimed to be Venerable after Pope John Paul II confirmed that Gaetano Catanoso lived a model life of heroic virtue.