Eugenio Reffo

The heart of Eugenio Reffo's life and work is intimately linked to the Artigianelli College and the foundation of the Congregation of Saint Joseph (commonly called the Josephites of Murialdo or Giuseppini del Murialdo).

The Artigianelli College, originally founded by Father Giovanni Cocchi to welcome, educate, and provide professional training for poor and orphaned young apprentices in Turin, was entrusted in 1866 to the direction of Saint Leonard Murialdo. Father Eugenio Reffo, already present in the establishment as a teacher, became Murialdo's closest and most faithful collaborator.

It was Father Reffo who strongly encouraged Leonard Murialdo to found a religious congregation to perpetuate this educational work among working-class and disadvantaged youth. On March 19, 1873, the Pia Società Torinese di San Giuseppe (Congregation of Saint Joseph) was officially founded in Turin. Father Reffo was among the first professed members and himself drafted the Rules and Regulations of the institute, which would be definitively approved by the Holy See in 1904.

Alongside his educational work, Father Reffo dedicated himself with passion to Catholic journalism, which he considered a powerful instrument of evangelization and social defense. He actively collaborated on several publications of the time: - L'Unità Cattolica (of which he was editor and de facto director from 1869 to 1887). - The monthly Museo delle Missioni Cattoliche. - The daily newspaper L'Italia Reale (of which he was editor-in-chief in 1893-1894). - Above all, the newspaper La Voce dell'Operaio (The Voice of the Worker), founded by Murialdo in 1876. Father Reffo took effective direction of it from 1895/1901 and kept it until his death in 1925, making this periodical a reference organ for the Christian working world, with a circulation reaching 35,000 copies in 1915.

He also wrote numerous educational plays for the young people of the college, published starting in 1870 in the collection "Le serate di Carnevale" (Carnival Evenings), in collaboration with his brother Enrico.

From 1895, Father Eugenio Reffo began to suffer from serious vision problems that gradually worsened until he became completely blind in 1917. He lived through this trial in a spirit of profound humility and total abandonment to the divine will, continuing to dictate his articles and correspondence despite his blindness.

Upon the death of Saint Leonard Murialdo in 1900, the members of the congregation wished to elect him Superior General, but he refused out of humility, leaving the position to Father Giulio Costantino, while accepting the role of Vicar General. In 1912, he was finally elected Superior General of the Congregation of Saint Joseph. He held this office until 1919, when the worsening of his blindness forced him to resign. He was then named Superior General ad honorem, a title he retained until his death.

For more than twelve years, Father Reffo had Saint Joseph Allamano (founder of the Consolata Missionaries) as his confessor and spiritual director. The latter felt immense veneration for him, affirming to his seminarians that he was "no less holy than Murialdo" and describing him as a living "relic."

Father Eugenio Reffo passed away on May 9, 1925, at the Artigianelli College in Turin, surrounded by a great reputation for holiness. His mortal remains, initially interred in the cemetery, were transferred in 1965 to the Church of Our Lady of Health (Chiesa della Salute) in Turin, where they rest beside the shrine of Saint Leonard Murialdo.

The cause for the beatification and canonization of Father Eugenio Reffo was officially introduced in the Archdiocese of Turin on February 24, 1979. The diocesan cognitive process took place from October 8, 1981, to November 10, 1993, and its legal validity was recognized by a decree of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on February 10, 1995.

Following the examination of the Positio and the favorable opinions of the historical and theological consultants, Pope Francis authorized, on June 12, 2014, the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues. From that moment, Father Eugenio Reffo was officially declared Venerable. For his beatification to be pronounced, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession is required.

The spirituality of Father Eugenio Reffo is deeply marked by the figure of Saint Joseph, whom he proposes as the absolute model of interior life and action for his congregation. For him, Saint Joseph embodies humility, the hidden life, sanctified daily work, and unwavering dedication to the will of God. He wrote several works of piety, novenas, and circular letters to propagate this devotion. His spiritual leitmotif is expressed through the formula: "To accomplish in all things and for all things the Will of God."

His legacy endures today through the Congregation of Saint Joseph (the Josephites of Murialdo), which continues its educational and social mission for disadvantaged youth in sixteen countries around the world (notably in Italy, Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina, Africa, and India). Furthermore, his role as a pioneer of the Italian Catholic press remains a model of intellectual and social commitment in the service of truth and the dignity of workers.