Giuseppe Benedetto Dusmet

After his ordination, Father Giuseppe Benedetto taught philosophy and theology. He held various positions: secretary in Caltanissetta, prior in Naples and then in Caltanissetta, and abbot of the monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena in Catania in 1858. Following the suppression laws of 1866, he maintained the cohesion of his community. On February 22, 1867, Pope Pius IX appointed him Archbishop of Catania. During his episcopate, he reorganized the seminary, supported charitable works, and collaborated with Maddalena Morano. In 1889, Pope Leo XIII created him a cardinal, but he retained his black Benedictine habit out of humility.

Nicknamed the "angel of charity," Cardinal Dusmet distinguished himself by his devotion during the cholera epidemics in Caltanissetta and Catania, personally caring for the sick. During earthquakes, floods, and eruptions of Mount Etna, he brought relief to the victims. In May 1886, facing a violent eruption threatening the village of Nicolosi, he carried the veil of Saint Agatha in procession. The lava flow stopped spectacularly at the gates of the village, an event attributed to his prayers and the intercession of the saint.

Cardinal Dusmet died in extreme poverty on April 4, 1894, in Catania. His body, found intact in 1951, rests in the Cathedral of Catania. His cause for beatification was introduced in 1949. Pope Paul VI declared the heroism of his virtues in 1965. Following the scientifically inexplicable healing of a man seriously injured after a fall, he was proclaimed blessed by Pope John Paul II on September 25, 1988.

The spirituality of Giuseppe Benedetto Dusmet is rooted in the Rule of Saint Benedict, uniting contemplation and charity. His motto was: "As long as we have a small loaf of bread, we will share it with the poor." He leaves behind the image of a humble and entirely devoted pastor. His memory remains very vivid in Sicily, particularly in Catania and Nicolosi, where many places bear his name.