St. Luigi was born on August 4th, 1804 in Udine, Italy. He began to prepare for the priesthood at the age of twelve with his two brothers. He was ordained at the age of 23 and began to care for those who lived in famine and poverty. With a group of priests and teachers, he began to teach girls who were poor and abandoned. They taught them embroidery, sewing and reading, writing and arithmetic. He gave them all his material possessions and he went around begging for himself.On February 1st, 1837, nine of the young girls became religious sisters of the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence, founded at that time by St. Luigi, and as the congregation grew, he opened 12 houses of religious sisters.

He devoted his life to the help of others, and overall, a great trust in the Lord. He entered the Congregation of the Oration Fathers and continued to guide the Sisters of Providence.He had a deep union with God, a great spiritual wisdom and was given the gift to read hearts. During the time of unification in Italy, the “House of the Orphans” and the Congregation of the Oration Fathers were suppressed. He was able to save the work the sisters did with the orphans but there was nothing that could be done about the Congregation of the Oration Fathers.

He became ill in 1883 and stopped working. His last words to his sisters were, "After my death, your Congregation will have many troubles, but afterwards it will have a new life. Charity! Charity! This is the spirit of your religious family: to save souls and to save them with Charity". St. Luigi died on April 3rd, 1884.

Sources:
https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=7379
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=424

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