Giacomo Cusmano

After his ordination, Father Cusmano was assigned to the church of the Saints-Quarante-Marti (Santi Quaranta Martiri) in the poor district of Albergheria in Palermo. Confronted with the extreme misery of the population, aggravated by epidemics and social unrest (notably the revolt of 1866), he sought a concrete way to alleviate hunger. On February 21, 1867, he founded the Association of the "Boccone del Povero" (the Poor Man's Morsel). The idea was simple but revolutionary: to ask wealthy families to set aside a small portion (a morsel) of their meal each day to give to the poor. This initiative was approved by the Archbishop of Palermo, Mgr. Naselli, and received the blessing of Pope Pius IX in 1868. To structure and perpetuate this work of charity, Father Cusmano founded two religious congregations: * The Sisters Servants of the Poor (Suore Serve dei Poveri): Founded on May 23, 1880 (the feast day of the Most Holy Trinity), this congregation had as its first superior and co-founder his sister Vincenzina Cusmano. * The Missionaries Servants of the Poor (Missionari Servi dei Poveri): Officially founded on November 21, 1887, this congregation brought together the priests and brothers who assisted him in his apostolate. He also opened hospitals, orphanages, and shelters for the elderly and abandoned. Nicknamed the "Father of the Poor," he often repeated regarding the excluded: "They belong to no one, therefore they belong to us."

Father Giacomo Cusmano led a life of great austerity, marked by fasting, penance, and boundless dedication. During a new cholera epidemic in Palermo, he spent himself without reserve for the sick, offering his own life for their salvation while repeating: "Lord, strike the shepherd and spare the flock" ("Signore, colpite il pastore e risparmiate il gregge").

Exhausted by deprivations, vigils, and incessant work in the service of the most destitute, his health deteriorated severely. He died of exhaustion in Palermo on March 14, 1888, on the eve of his 54th birthday. His death stirred immense popular emotion, across all social classes, who mourned him as the "Father of the poor."

The cause for the beatification and canonization of Giacomo Cusmano was officially introduced on May 24, 1961. On April 2, 1982, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, granting him the title of Venerable. On October 30, 1983, Giacomo Cusmano was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter's Square in Rome. His liturgical feast is set for March 14, the day of his birth into heaven. His relics are venerated in the church of the Terre Rosse orphanage in Palermo.

The spirituality of Blessed Giacomo Cusmano is based on an ardent Eucharistic faith and on the contemplation of Christ in the person of the poor. For him, charity is not mere social assistance, but a privileged means of propagating the faith: "The poor person is Christ. When I serve him, I serve Christ."

The central idea of his spiritual life is summarized as follows: "To live in the presence of God and in union with God; to receive everything from the hands of God; to do everything for the pure love and glory of God."

Today, the Cusmanian Family (composed of the Missionary Servants of the Poor, the Sisters Servants of the Poor, and the Jacques Cusmano Lay Association) continues his work of charity throughout the world. It is active not only in Italy, but also in Romania, Brazil, Mexico, the United States, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Uganda, India, and the Philippines.