Francesco Maria Greco was an Italian Catholic priest born in 1857 in Acri. Serving within the Archdiocese of Cosenza, he worked as a professor and a pastor, dedicating much of his ministry to education and social welfare. In 1894, he co-founded the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts, a religious congregation that eventually expanded across several continents. Recognized for his heroic virtue, he was beatified by the Catholic Church in 2016.
Life and ministry
After choosing a religious vocation over his father's wish for him to join the family pharmacy, Greco was ordained in 1881. He earned a doctorate in theology in Naples and taught seminarians in Cosenza. As a parish priest in Acri, he established a hospital for the poor, a catechetical school, and a center for young people. His religious order, founded with Raffaela De Vincentis, grew to include missions in Europe, Asia, and South America.
Veneration
The process for his beatification began decades after his death in 1931. He was named a Servant of God in 1977 and later declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II in 2004. Following the approval of a miracle by Pope Francis in 2016, he was beatified in Cosenza. His feast day is observed on January 13.