Cataldo, Joseph Mary, 1837-1928

Joseph M. Cataldo was born March 17, 1837 in Terrasini, Sicily. His youth was marked by frail health and multiple family relocations particularly in response to the 1848 pan-European political turbulence, felt in Sicily as well. In 1852, at the ripe age of 15, he petitioned to join the Sicily Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), based in nearby Palermo. His early training was interrupted by more bad health and removal to Rome in 1860 due to the success of Garibaldi's Sicilian campaign. In 1862, while studying for the priesthood in Louvain, Belgium, Cataldo requested a post-ordination assignment to the Jesuits' Rocky Mountain Mission already established in the Pacific Northwest. Prevailing over the impediments of more weak health, Fr. Cataldo finally arrived at the Jesuits' Sacred Heart Mission in north Idaho in October, 1865.

From the description of Joseph Cataldo, S.J. papers, 1862-2006. (Graham Public Library). WorldCat record id: 476910906

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