Luigi Bordino

On July 23, 1946, desiring to give himself entirely to God through the service of the poorest, Andrea knocked on the door of the Piccola Casa della Divina Provvidenza (Little House of Divine Providence) in Turin, the work founded by Saint Joseph-Benedict Cottolengo. His sister Ernestina also entered the same religious family (under the name Sister Pia). Andrea donned the habit of the Cottolengo Brothers and took the name Brother Luigi of the Consolata (Fratel Luigi della Consolata). He made his first vows on July 19, 1948, and then his perpetual vows in 1965. After completing nursing training, he began working at the Cottolengo hospital in Turin, mainly in the surgery and orthopedics departments, as well as in the operating room as an anesthetist. For nearly thirty years, he became the nurse most sought after and esteemed by doctors and patients for his exceptional professional competence, his gentleness, and his profound humanity. He was also a pioneer in blood donation. At the end of the 1960s, during the major reforms of the Italian health system that forced the Cottolengo to adapt and collaborate with public authorities, Brother Luigi was asked by his superiors to participate in the community's reflections to guide this delicate transition while preserving the institution's original charism.

In June 1975, experiencing persistent fatigue, Brother Luigi underwent medical examinations that revealed acute myeloid leukemia. He received this terrible news with heroic peace and serenity, repeating incessantly the traditional Cottolenghine prayer: "Deo Gratias always, these are the days of Divine Providence!".

He lived his two-year ordeal as an offering of love, confiding: "I finally have something to offer the Lord". He passed away holily in Turin on August 25, 1977, at the age of 55. In a final burst of charity, he donated his corneas to two blind people, thus carrying out one of the very first such procedures in Italy.

The cause for beatification was opened in Turin, and the diocesan phase took place from 1988 to 1993. On April 12, 2003, Pope John Paul II promulgated the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, declaring him venerable.

On April 3, 2014, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Luigi Bordino, namely the scientifically inexplicable healing of a nun. The solemn beatification ceremony took place on May 2, 2015, in Turin, on the esplanade of the Church of the Holy Face (Santo Volto), during the period of the exposition of the Shroud of Turin. The celebration was presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, representing Pope Francis. Nearly 4,000 faithful attended, including many sick people, individuals with disabilities, and a large delegation of Alpini (the "black feathers") who came from all over Piedmont to honor their former comrade-in-arms. His liturgical memorial is set for August 25, the day of his birth into Heaven.

The spirituality of Brother Luigi Bordino rests on absolute humility and boundless charity, lived in the light of the Gospel and the charism of Saint Joseph-Benedict Cottolengo. For him, the sick and the poor were "the flesh of the crucified Christ." He fled all vain glory and sought silence and contemplative prayer, spending long hours in Eucharistic adoration and constantly reciting the Rosary. His legacy remains alive within the Cottolengo family and the world of healthcare. A medical research center bears his name in Turin. He is also venerated as one of the "Alpini of God" (alongside figures such as Blessed Carlo Gnocchi), embodying the heroism of charity in the heart of the trials of war and illness.