Saint Who?
Saints Who Had Family Challenges
Blessed Giuseppe Antonio Tovini
Married layman († 1897)Feast: January 16
Giuseppe was born in Cividate Camuno, Italy, the oldest of his parents’ seven children. The family was poor but devout. Giuseppe was only eighteen years old when his father died, but he completed his studies and earned a law degree. Then his mother died, and he had to support both himself and his younger siblings.
To provide for them, Giuseppe worked as a lawyer, took a second job as a notary, and later taught. He seriously considered a vocation to religious life. But his siblings eventually grew up, and after a long courtship, he married Emilia Corbolani. Together they had ten children.
While he was always a responsible provider for his large family, Giuseppe believed that his work should be informed by his faith. When he was elected town mayor and later provincial councilor, he was instrumental in developing city infrastructure and founding banks, including a not-for-profit banking apostolate. He became a Franciscan tertiary and did pro bono legal work for the poor. He also founded many Catholic works, including a newspaper, two schools, and a lay association for university students. Despite his heavy professional and volunteer responsibilities, Giuseppe was also a beloved, conscientious father and greatly mourned at his early death at the age of fifty-five.
God our Creator, help us to maintain a healthy
balance of family life and work.
