St Luigi Guanella was born in Italy in 1842. He was a Salesian for several years, and dedicated his life to serving the poor.

As a young parish priest in the 1860s, he was especially drawn to improving the lives of the young, and his encounters with Don Bosco led him to become a Salesian in 1875. He ran the St Aloysius Oratory in Turin and took charge of adult vocations until he was recalled to the diocese by his bishop to run a hostel for the eldely poor.

He was fearless in defending the weak - young or old - against the powerful, and he founded several religious institutions including the Daughters of Saint Mary of Providence and the Servants of Charity, to work with the poor across the world. He also founded the Pious Union of St Joseph, whose first member was Pope Pius X.

Although God guided his life in another direction, he retained his devotion to Don Bosco, which can be seen in a prayer he wrote in his monthly magazine, Divine Providence, in 1908: 'May the great soul of John Bosco, who from on high protects the Congregation of his sons the Salesians, now too numerous to count, be pleased to turn his gaze on the Institutes of Divine Providence and extend the kindness of his protection on all those who belong to these works and especially on his devoted admirer and student, Fr Luigi Guanella.'

St Luigi was canonised in 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI.

His feast is celebrated on 24 October, the date of his death in 1925.

For more biographical information and downloadable resources, visit sdb.org