The feast of St Luigi Scrosoppi, a priest of the Oratory in Udine.

His older brother Carlo had been a member of the Oratory before it was suppressed by Napoleon in 1810. When Luigi was ordained in 1827, he said his first Mass in the old Oratory Church. He devoted himself to founding orphanages and oversaw the founding of the Sisters of Providence to care for them.

In 1846, the Udine Oratory was finally reopened. Carlo and Luigi were each superior in turn. After two decades of Oratorian community life, it was suppressed by the Italian state in 1867. For the rest of his life, though no longer in community, Luigi signed his name ‘F. Luigi of the Oratory’ and imitated St Philip Neri’s humility and love of being unknown. On his death in 1884, he left his possessions to the Udine Oratory, should it ever be reopened. His grave is marked Presbyter Oratorii, priest of the Oratory.

As well as healing the sick, St Luigi is known as the patron saint of footballers for his work with young people. He was alive at the time that our own Canon Hannan founded the Hibernian Club here at St Patrick’s.

St Luigi, pray for us!