Blessed Giuseppe Allamano

Giuseppe Allamano, IMC (21 January 1851 – 16 February 1926) was an Italian Catholic priest who established the Consolata Missionaries (IMC) for males and another for females, the Consolata Missionary Sisters. Allamano also served as the rector of the Santuario della Consolata and transformed the shrine into a source of spiritual renewal for the faithful. He was beatified in 1990 and canonized on 20 October 2024. Giuseppe Ottavio Allamano was born in Asti in 1851 as the fourth of five children to Joseph and Marianna Cafasso Allamano. His mother was the younger sister of Joseph Cafasso. His father died of anthrax when Giuseppe was three. From 1861 to 1866 Allamano attended the Oratory of John Bosco in Valdocco. He commenced his studies to become a priest in Turin in November 1866, and was ordained to the priesthood on 20 September 1873. He was appointed spiritual director at the major seminary of the diocese of Turin. In 1876, he obtained a doctorate in theology. He was appointed as the rector of the Santuario della Consolata on 2 October 1880 and he maintained that position until his death. Between 1883 and 1885 he restructured the Sanctuary and repaired the roof. In 1899 he commissioned the architect Carlo Ceppi to expand the interior space for the faithful with the construction of four circular chapels. Allamano ensured that the shrine became a source of spiritual renewal. Allamano also responded to requests for spiritual and material comfort of Turin supporting various social initiatives and promoting the Catholic newspapers. In 1899, he began publishing the monthly La Consolata. On recovering from a severe illness in 1891, he vowed to found a missionary society for priests and laymen. Thus the Consolata Missionaries was born on 29 January 1901. The first missionaries reached Kenya in 1902, joined in 1903 by the Sisters of Cottolengo. He also founded the Consolata Missionary Sisters for women on 29 January 1910.