Adolfo Barberis

Adolfo Barberis (1 June 1884 - 24 September 1967) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and the founder of the Sisters of Christian Servanthood. Barberis served as the assistant to the Archbishop of Turin from 1906 until the cardinal's death in 1923 at which point he worked for sometime as a professor. He did this while managing the functions of the religious congregation he established which he had dedicated to the education and care of women in domestic service.

Barberis nonetheless was rehabilitated towards the end of his life when his good friend Cardinal Michele Pellegrino dispelled the allegations leveled against him. Health concerns plagued him towards the rest of his life and he retired to the order's motherhouse where he later died from his ailments.

The beatification process launched in Turin in 1995 and he became titled as a Servant of God. The process culminated in 2014 after Pope Francis confirmed his life of heroic virtue and named him as Venerable. The cardinal had complete trust and confidence in Barberis which frustrated his colleagues who believed that he had too much influence and power.

Barberis had a passion for sacred art and was appointed to oversee the education of seminarians in sacred art once Pope Pius X - in 1910-11 - ordered that seminaries teach it. In 1915 he was appointed chaplain of the “Maria Letizia” military hospital. His order expanded to Mexico and Columbia and as of 2005 had 50 religious in a total of nine houses.

Beatification process The beatification process was launched in Turin in a diocesan investigation to assess his life and virtues; this process spanned from its opening on 8 February 1995 until its formal closure on 4 July 1998. But the formal introduction to the cause came on 13 March 1995 under Pope John Paul II after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints titled him as a Servant of God and declared "nihil obstat" (no objections) to the cause. The C.C.S. later validated the diocesan investigation on 26 February 1999 and received the Positio dossier in 2001 for evaluation.

Theologians were unanimous in their approval of the cause on 15 January 2013 and the cardinal and bishop members of the C.C.S. were also unanimous in their approval of the cause on 4 March 2014. Barberis was named as Venerable on 3 April 2014 after Pope Francis confirmed that he had lived a model life of heroic virtue.

The current postulator for this cause is Fr. Flavio Peloso.