Biography
Youngest of three brothers born to Domenico Scrosoppi, a jeweler, and Antonia Lazzarini; his brother Carlo was ordained when Luigi was six, and his brother Giovanni several years later. When Luigi was 11 or 12 years old, his home region was struck by drought, famine, typhus, and smallpox in quick succession; the sight of such misery, complete poverty, and the number of orphans had a lasting effect on the boy. In his teens, Luigi felt a call to the priesthood, and he entered the same seminary as his brother Giovanni. Deacon in 1826; ordained on 31 March 1827 at the cathedral in Udine; he was assisted at his first Mass by his brothers. Director of the Pious Union of the Heart of Jesus Christ. Helped manage the children's center run by his brother Carlo. Franciscan tertiary. Assistant director of Carlo's orphanage in 1829. The orphanage fell on harder times than usual; Luigi, in desperation, hit the streets to beg for their support, and the school soon had a great lesson in faith - and enough money to buy their building. As there were more orphans than space, the brothers decided to enlarge the house; Luigi went through the countryside to beg building materials and labor. Work began in 1834 with Luigi coordinating, begging, supervising, and working construction; it was completed in 1836, and named the House for the Destitute. That year also saw another cholera epidemic, and the orphanages, again, were full. The need of the orphans, and the constant work of the brother priests, a Born: 4 August 1804 at Udine Italy Died: 3 April 1884 at Udine Italy of fever and the postulant skin disease pemphigus