Luigi Caburlotto

The heart of Luigi Caburlotto's work lies in the foundation and development of the Congregation of the Daughters of Saint Joseph (Figlie di San Giuseppe). Deeply moved by the moral and material misery of young girls abandoned on the streets of Venice, he opened a 'School of Charity' (Pia casa della carità) on April 30, 1850, to welcome, instruct, and educate them. To carry out this work, he surrounded himself with two volunteer catechists. This small group of collaborators gave birth to the Congregation of the Daughters of Saint Joseph, for which he wrote the Rule of Life, inspired by the spirituality of Saint Francis de Sales. The Institute's Constitutions were approved during the first general chapter on July 23, 1857. The institute developed rapidly and diversified its activities to meet the needs of the time: - In 1859, he founded a free school for poor young girls in Ceneda, as well as a college with a higher curriculum. - In 1869, the Congregation of Charity entrusted him with the reorganization of the important Manin Institute, a vocational school for boys. - In 1881, he took charge of two other declining establishments: the Jesuit boys' orphanage (Gesuati) and the Terese girls' orphanage, where he replaced lay teachers with his religious sisters. The Institute of the Daughters of Saint Joseph is thus dedicated to the integral education of youth, particularly the poorest, by combining firmness and gentleness, according to a preventive method.

The reputation of holiness of Luigi Caburlotto was maintained well after his death. The cause for beatification was officially opened with the diocesan phase in Venice, which took place from 1963 to 1969.

On July 2, 1994, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, thereby declaring him Venerable.

The path to beatification opened thanks to the recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession. The miracle concerns the unexplained healing of Maria Grazia Veltraino. Welcomed by the Daughters of Saint Joseph in Rome in 1954, she suffered from dermatomyositis, a serious illness diagnosed at a specialized institute. Her condition worsened in 1999 (abdominal pain, nausea, asthenia, weight loss) and she had been confined to a wheelchair since 2001. At dawn on February 12, 2008, after seeing the figure of Luigi Caburlotto in a dream and hearing a voice tell her "Cammina!" (Walk!), she got out of bed without any support and began walking normally again. The healing was judged to be complete, rapid, and scientifically inexplicable. The decree recognizing this miracle was signed by Pope Francis on May 10, 2014. The solemn ceremony of beatification was celebrated on May 16, 2015, in Saint Mark's Square in Venice. It was presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, representing Pope Francis, in the presence of the Patriarch of Venice, Mgr. Francesco Moraglia, and thousands of the faithful.

The spirituality of Luigi Caburlotto is deeply rooted in the model of the Good Shepherd. He advocated a pedagogy of "gentle firmness," insisting that children must be educated with love, gentleness, and respect for their dignity. He notably said: "Love compels one to treat everyone with suavity and gentleness."

Today, the Daughters of Saint Joseph continue his educational and social work in Italy and throughout the world (notably through schools, orphanages, and reception centers such as the "Case Nazareth" founded in Spinea). His mortal remains rest in the church of San Sebastiano in Venice, where the faithful come to venerate his reliquary urn.