Roman Catholic Saint. One of eight children, Gaetano Catanoso came from a family of wealthy landowners. Ordained priest by Cardinal Gennaro Portanova in 1902, he served between 1904 and 1921 in the rural parish of Pentidattilo. Holding a great devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus, he initiated "The Holy Face" bulletin and established the "Confraternity of the Holy Face" in 1920. Such was his devotion that he once wrote that: "The Holy Face is my life. He is my strength." Transferred to the large parish of Santa Maria de la Candelaria in 1921 where he remained until 1940, Catanoso dedicated his pastoral ministry to bring the Gospel message to all people, hiking or riding on a mule to reach distant and surrounding mountain villages in order to evangelize people. Opening institutions, promoting catechetical instruction and crusading against blasphemy and the profanation of feast days, in particular, he considered his duty as a priest to help those who were isolated and forgotten: youth without role models, abandoned senior citizens and priests who were without support. He even helped restore churches and tabernacles left to decay. Catanoso often spent hours in prayer before the tabernacle and in the parish and beyond he promoted Eucharistic adoration. He also set up so-called "Flying Squads," teams of priests willing to cooperate in the parishes by giving homilies and hearing confession on these occasions. Confessor to various religious institutes from 1921 to 1950, as well as of the Reggio Calabria prison, in 1934 he founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Saint Veronica, Missionaries of the Holy Face. The first convent was opened in Riparo. Affected by blindness and other illnesses, he died of natural causes on April 4, 1963 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 4, 1997. Pope Benedict XVI canonized him in his first canonization ceremony on October 23, 2005. His liturgical feast day is held on April 4.