Ludovico of Casoria

After his spiritual experience in 1847, Ludovico devoted himself tirelessly to the poor, the sick, and the marginalized of Naples. He opened dispensaries, schools, workshops, and institutions for orphans, the elderly, the blind, and the deaf-mute. As early as 1854, he launched the "Opera dei Moretti," intended to redeem and educate young Africans, sometimes snatched from slavery in Egypt, in order to train them for a mission in their continent of origin. To perpetuate these works, he established in 1859 a male congregation of the Franciscan Third Order, the Brothers of Charity, nicknamed "Frati Bigi" because of the gray color of their habit, and then in 1862 a female congregation, the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Elizabeth, known as "Suore Bigie." In 1871, he founded the Istituto Serafico in Assisi, welcoming young deaf and blind people, whom he considered as creatures also called to a future. Nicknamed a "giant of charity," he deployed considerable charitable activity throughout Southern Italy.

The spirituality of Ludovico of Casoria combines the Franciscan radicality of detachment with an active charity toward the poorest. The Eucharistic experience of 1847 remained the hearth of his entire spiritual life: he spoke of it as the moment when the love of Christ had wounded his heart and inflamed him with a zeal for mercy. His devotion to the Sacred Heart and to the Eucharist sustained tireless action for the benefit of the destitute, the infirm, and abandoned children, without distinction of origin, as evidenced by his particular attention to young Africans. Renowned for his humility, his spirit of initiative, and his trust in Providence, he was held during his lifetime to be a man of God and a tireless servant of the poor. This reputation for holiness, founded on the heroic exercise of charity, was maintained after his death and led to the opening of his cause.

Ludovico of Casoria was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 18, 1993. The miracle recognized for his canonization concerns the healing of a newborn, Ida Iadevaia, who suffered from a severe congenital malformation of the right knee, which occurred in 1994 in Durazzano, in the province of Benevento. The decree recognizing this miracle was promulgated in 2014, paving the way for canonization. Pope Francis proclaimed Ludovico of Casoria a saint on November 23, 2014, on the Solemnity of Christ the King, in Saint Peter's Square in Rome, during a celebration in which six blesseds were canonized. His liturgical feast is set for March 30, the anniversary of his death; the congregations he founded also commemorate him on June 17.

The legacy of Ludovico of Casoria continues through the institutions he founded. The Franciscan Sisters of Saint Elizabeth, known as the "Bigie" Elizabethan Sisters, carry on his educational and charitable work. The Serafico Institute of Assisi, which he created in 1871 for the deaf-mute and the blind, remains today a recognized center for rehabilitation, research, and care for children and young adults with physical, mental, and sensory disabilities. A major figure of 19th-century Neapolitan charity, hailed as a "giant of charity," he is honored in particular in the Naples region and in Casoria, his hometown, as well as in Assisi. His mortal remains are venerated in Naples. His example of service to the poorest and his pioneering attention to young Africans earn him a recognized place among the social saints of modern Italy.