His Cousin the Saint

On Thursday, March 12, 2009, at 6:00 P.M., author Justin Catanoso will the guest speaker at the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute in Manhattan. An accomplished journalist, Justin will be talking about his new book My Cousin the Saint. The grandson of Italian immigrants, he talks about rediscovering his grandfather’s cousin Father Gaetano Catanoso (1879-1963), a Calabrian priest who was recently canonized. Justin’s book traces his journeys to Italy, where he reconnected with his extended family and learned about the rather intrictae process of saint-making. He also talks about discovering the richness of the Catholic tradition as he dealt with some hard issues like his brother’s illness. I’m looking forward to this lecture myself!