Who is Cottolengo?
St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo (1786-1842) is a catholic priest and a well- known philanthropist of 19 th centuary. On 2 September 1827, he received a special grace from God for serving the poor and the disabled, eventually began his work of charity with two poor patients. Today, Cottolengo institutions are present in Italy, Switzerland, Miami(USA), Ecuador, India, Kenya, Etiopia and Tanzania. The originality of the foundations of Cottolengo – recognized also by Mother Theresa of Calcutta – is the family aspect: Cottolengo and his institutions not only care for the mentally and physically disabled, but live for them as a family.
