Venerable Francesco Bonifacio

Francesco Giovanni Bonifacio (7 September 1912 – 11 September 1946) was an Italian Catholic priest, killed by the Yugoslav communists in Grisignana (then Italy now Croatia); he was beatified in Trieste on 4 October 2008. Francesco (Checco) Bonifacio was born on 7 September 1912 in Pirano, Istria which was then part of Austria Hungary, later Italy, and is now part of Slovenia. He was the second of seven children born to Giovanni and Luigia Busdon Bonifacio. His father was a stoker on steamers sailing out of Trieste, which kept him away much of the time. His mother took a job as a cleaning lady to supplement their income. The family were devout Catholics. Francesco attended the local elementary school of Pirano and received religious education at the local parish of San Francesco where he served as an altar boy. In 1924, Bonifacio entered the seminary in Capodistria-Koper, where he earned the nickname of El Santin (the little Saint) for his obedience, meekness, service, and availability to his companions. On Christmas Eve 1931, his father died. The following year he entered the Central Theological Seminary of Gorizia. These were turbulent years for Italy: Fascism had already consolidated its political power and sought to reduce the influence of the Catholic Church in Italy. In 1934, a press campaign was mounted by the fascists against the local Church because of a speech by Bishop Luigi Fogar. However, young Bonifacio was not particularly interested in politics. On 26 October 1936, Bonifacio was ordained as a deacon in Trieste by Archbishop Carlo Margotti of Gorizia and on 27 December 1936, he was ordained a priest in the Trieste Cathedral of San Giusto. He celebrated his first service in his native Pirano church San Giorgio Dom on 3 January 1937. A few months later he was assigned as vicar at Cittanova d'Istria, where he created the local section of the Azione Cattolica (Catholic Action).