Stubborn determination and a competitive spirit can bring a young boy a lot of places… it could spur him on to turn his team around in a sports game; it could drive him to study hard in school; it could get him into some trouble with friends… but rarely do we think about these qualities helping a young boy towards sainthood.Maggiorino Vigolungo was born on a farm in Benevello d’Alba, Italy on May 6th, 1904.  While his family was not wealthy, they were hard-working and de...

Belonging.  The search for it can haunt us.  Br. Andrew Borello was someone who faced this question many times in his life, and each time, found that Home in Christ.He was born Ricardo Borello, on March 8, 1916 in Mango, Italy.  When he was still a baby, his father died in WWI, leaving a wife and two children behind.  His mother remarried, and so little Ricardo and his older sister Maria moved to a new home, adjusting to a new father.  When Ricardo was in his teens, both...

Teresa Merlo had a heart the whole world could fit in.Born February 20, 1894, into a farming family in Castagnito d’Alba, Italy, Teresa (as she was called then) was the second of four children. She was a loving, capable child, but never quite as healthy as other kids her age. Worried about her health, her parents decided to get her a tutor rather than send her to school with her brothers. From her parents and her tutor, Miss Chiarla, Teresa learned her school subjects, essential life skill...

Upon hearing that the Founder, Fr. Alberione, had chosen her to “carry out silence, silence, silence,” you might think that Mother Scholastica’s life was thoroughly still, calm, and safe from all surprises. But in reality, her life was anything but predictable!Born in Guarene, Italy on July 12, 1897, Ursula Rivata was raised in a loving family. Her childhood suffered a major heartbreak, however, when her mother passed away suddenly after a short illness. The little Ursula misse...

These days, Fr. Timothy can be seen only in the old photographs, sitting stoically with hands properly folded, draped in his black cassock.  His camera-shy posture belies his daring spirit and gentle heart, which have had such a profound influence on the lives of so many.Born Giuseppe Giaccardo on June 13th, 1896 in Cuneo, Italy, he was the eldest of five children.  As a boy, the young Giuseppe had a great love for God, a devotion to the sacraments, and a Marian heart – three qua...

It may seem rather strange to have included in the family of Pauline saints a man who had taken no Pauline vow, and yet as Fr. Alberione’s spiritual advisor, Canon Chiesa is fondly considered the “godfather” of the Pauline family by her members.Francesco Chiesa was born in Monta d’Alba, Italy, on April 2, 1874.  He proved to be a keen student who wanted to devote his life to God and His Church.  Francesco Chiesa entered the seminary in Alba, and was ordained a p...

“James!” A farm woman in the field called to her little boy who, small and frail, was lagging behind the rest with the lantern.  “James, bring the light!”  He hurried to bring that one essential source of light to his family as fast as his little feet would carry him.It was a simple memory, but later it would come to punctuate James’ entire experience as he navigated an unprecedented calling in the midst of a suffering humanity.James Alberione was born Apr...