Leonardo Murialdo

Leonardo Murialdo, CSI (26 October 1828 – 30 March 1900) was an Italian Catholic priest and the co-founder of the Congregation of Saint Joseph - also known as the Murialdines (which he founded alongside Eugenio Reffo).

Murialdo's call to the priesthood did not manifest until late in his education in Savona; he pursued his ecclesial studies and was ordained as such in 1851 before dedicating himself to social work alongside the poor and with adolescent men. This put him into contact with other priests of the era such as Giovanni Bosco and Giuseppe Cafasso who held Murialdo in great esteem. His zeal for social concern saw his frequent calls for an end to worker exploitation and the granting of further rights to workers in factories. The diocesan process for investigating Murialdo's life and reputation for holiness took place in Turin from 1910 until 1913. His writings received theological approval on 13 December 1916; the Congregation for Rites validated the diocesan investigation on 2 March 1932. The Instituto Leonardo Murialdo is located in Albano Lazio; the Murialdines manage it to provide an education to children. The Oratorio di San Leonardo Murialdo in Popesti Leordeni for adolescents. The San Leonardo Murialdo church on Via Salvatore Pincerle 144 in Rome was built in 1978 and consecrated a decade later in 1988.