Celebrating the Birthday of St. John Baptist Scalabrini – Father to Migrants

“I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” — Matthew 25:35

On this day, July 8, the Church and the Scalabrinian family around the world joyfully celebrate the birthday of St. John Baptist Scalabrini (1839–1905), a saint whose heart beat deeply for migrants, refugees, and all those on the move.

Born in Fino Mornasco, Italy, Scalabrini became a priest, bishop, and eventually a saint — not because of worldly power, but because of his radical compassion for people often forgotten by society. He understood the struggles of those forced to leave their homelands in search of a better life and made it his mission to care for them in body, mind, and soul.

The words of Christ in the Gospel — “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” — were not just a moral teaching for Scalabrini; they were a living reality. He recognized the presence of Jesus in every migrant he encountered, and he responded not with pity, but with love, action, and commitment. In 1887, he founded the Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Charles (Scalabrinians) to continue this mission around the world.

St. Scalabrini believed that every migrant is not a number, but a person, a child of God, and a bearer of hope. He saw migration not as a problem to be solved but as a sign of the times — an opportunity for the Church to live out the Gospel in concrete ways. As we commemorate his birth, we are reminded of his timeless message: “The migrant is the image of Christ in our midst.”

Today, the legacy of St. John Baptist Scalabrini continues in the work of Scalabrinian missionaries, sisters, lay collaborators, and countless faithful who walk with migrants in over 30 countries. May his life inspire us all to welcome the stranger, build bridges not walls, and recognize Christ in those who journey far from home.

St. Scalabrini, pray for us and all migrants.

SFCP Media Office