The Young Joseph
One sad part of his childhood was the early demise of his mother. It was then that their father, relying on the interior strength that comes from faith, took charge of the two children. He decided to move with them to their grandparents in San Martino Alfieri, so that Joseph and his younger brother, Vittorio, would not suffer too much from the solitude and the void left by the loss of their mother.

In San Martino Alfieri, Joseph was the kind of person who responded quickly to those in need. Even as a young boy, he would very often give away his own possessions and invite the homeless and the hungry to the family table. In those early years he was faithful to his religious duties and eager to help his parish priest, especially by serving as an altar boy. It was there he began to realize he, too, was being called to the priesthood.

For seeing his son's good behavior and good grades in school, his father decided to reward him by taking him on a journey to Savona. There Joseph saw the sea for the first time and the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy. Being with the Lady whom he had considered as his second mother, he made a decision that will change his life.

On November 9, 1856, Joseph Marello began his life as a seminarian at the Diocesan Seminary of Asti.