He was born in Nizza Monferrato on July 5, 1846, and died in Turin on November 22, 1911. For 47 years, he worked for the Italian State Railways, first in Pinerolo and then, as office manager, at Turin Porta Nuova.
He was a lay Christian who was truly devoted to doing good, and for this reason, his life was not an easy one. Deeply devoted to the Most Holy Sacrament, he promoted Daily Adoration throughout Italy and around the world. Even today, in the Church of St. Thomas the Apostle, in Turin’s historic centre, the Archconfraternity of Universal Perpetual Daily Adoration to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament—of which he was the first president—remains active.
As a Franciscan Tertiary, he devoted himself to spreading the principles of Rerum Novarum throughout the world of work. A friend of the poor, he tirelessly came to the aid of all who turned to him for help and comfort. His decision to join the Secular Franciscan Order was no accident; it had a profound impact on him, guiding him along a path of authentic and committed “minority” in the pursuit of that “perfect joy” that made him a true disciple to the Saint of Assisi. His integration into the Catholic laity of Turin during the second half of the nineteenth century contributed to the lively creativity of initiatives aimed at promoting new and bold solutions, suited to the times, in the spirit of that “imagination of charity” that Pope John Paul II sought to highlight at the beginning of the Third Christian Millennium.
As a journalist, during a time when Freemasonry was dominant, he defended the Church and the Papacy with his pen and his voice, bearing witness to his faith with courageous consistency. In the climate of the time, his open profession as a militant Catholic was considered an unforgivable offense.
He placed all his trust in Mary, venerated as the Great Mother of God. His devotion to Mary led him to organize the historic Marian Congress in Turin in 1898, as well as to author books on the subject. His remains, transferred from Nizza Monferrato to Turin on March 19, 1953, rest in the parish church of St. Thomas.
The multifaceted figure of the Venerable Paolo Pio Perazzo, known as the “holy railroadman,” offers us the exemplary witness of one who, guided by the Gospel and in the Franciscan spirit, walked the path of holiness and the apostolate.
The reputation for holiness that has always accompanied his memory has been unanimously confirmed by those who, having known him personally, bore witness to it during the canonical processes. Furthermore, this reputation received authoritative and formal recognition in the decree of April 6, 1998, by which the Holy Father John Paul II officially recognized Perazzo’s heroic exercise of the theological and moral virtues.
His example reminds us that the path to holiness through love and service is open to all the faithful, for it is an indispensable part of the Christian life. In fact, a saint is not necessarily someone who performs extraordinary deeds, but rather someone who makes his or her daily life extraordinary through the life-giving spirit of the Gospel. Precisely for this reason, he can be counted among the precursors who prophetically anticipated the clearer and deeper understanding that the Church has today of the lay vocation, its identity, dignity, and mission.
Source:
https://ofspiemonte.it/paolo-pio-perazzo/