Giuseppe Bedetti

Affectionately nicknamed "Don Jusféin" (or "Don Jusfein") by the Bolognese people, Giuseppe Bedetti dedicated his ministry to the poorest and most marginalized, which also earned him the title of "priest of the porters" (prete dei facchini). He began his pastoral work in his home parish, San Michele dei Leprosetti, by first gathering the porters, then the hatters, shoemakers, and postilions to offer them a Christian education. Faced with the misery and idleness of street youth, and after the failure of a committee for the foundation of infant asylums in 1838, he founded the work of the "Night Schools" (Scuole notturne). The first school opened its doors in the autumn of 1839 in a palace on Via Zamboni. Intended for young artisans and apprentices aged 10 to 20, these schools allowed them to learn reading, writing, arithmetic, drawing, and singing for free after their workday. On Sundays, the children participated in Mass, recreational activities (puppets, board games), and received a free meal. Don Bedetti personally involved himself in finding them employment with honest employers and regularly visited the workshops to ensure they were treated well. He also founded the "Festive Congregation of San Michelino" and the "Congregation of the Youth" in the small church of San Donato, made available by the Malvasia counts, to welcome the most destitute children. His work gained great notoriety: in 1857, during his visit to Bologna, Pope Pius IX donated 2,000 scudi to his "Charity Halls." In 1863, Saint John Bosco himself visited these night schools, the model of which was similar to his own oratories. Alongside his educational works, Giuseppe Bedetti was appointed canon and archpriest of the prestigious collegiate basilica of San Petronio. He devoted himself tirelessly to the sick, prisoners, and especially those condemned to death, whom he accompanied with paternal tenderness to the place of their execution.

At his death on January 4, 1889, the reputation of holiness of Giuseppe Bedetti was immense. For three days, thousands of people, including anti-clericals who deeply respected his dedication to the poor, came to pay their respects before his remains, repeating: "A saint has died." He was initially buried in the Certosa communal cemetery. On January 28, 1925, the Chapter of San Petronio officially requested the Archbishop of Bologna to introduce his cause for beatification. At the same time, a request was addressed to the municipality to transfer his body. On October 11, 1925, his remains were exhumed and solemnly transferred to the Crucifix Chapel of the Basilica of San Petronio, in the presence of a considerable crowd and Cardinal Giovanni Battista Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano. The diocesan informative process was opened, and the cause was officially introduced in Rome on January 2, 1949. The apostolic process took place from 1951 to 1953, and its validity was decreed by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on June 20, 1958. The Positio on his heroic virtues was published in 1978.

On November 16, 1985, Pope John Paul II promulgated the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, thus conferring upon him the title of Venerable. The cause is currently underway, awaiting the recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession to pave the way for his beatification.

The spiritual life of Giuseppe Bedetti rested on an intimate union with Christ through the Eucharist. He spent long hours in adoration and contemplation before the tabernacle. He also nurtured a deep devotion to the Virgin Mary, particularly under the title of Our Lady of Sorrows (Vergine Addolorata), which he used to comfort those condemned to death. This Marian devotion led him to don the habit of a secular tertiary of the Order of the Servants of Mary (Servi di Maria) in 1864, in the church of Santa Maria dei Servi in Bologna. His legacy of charity remains alive in Bologna. His example deeply inspired other great figures of Bolognese charity, notably Blessed Olinto Marella (Padre Marella), who continued a similar work of education and social integration through work for marginalized youth. In 1990, on the occasion of the centenary of his death, the group of the "Amici di monsignor Giuseppe Bedetti" was founded to promote his memory and his spirituality.