Fr. Francesco was born in Padua, part of the Veneto region of Italy. He is the 2nd of 5 children; he has 3 sisters and 1 brother, all still living in Italy. He is the uncle of 3 nephews and two nieces. Born into a farming family, he studied agriculture in Padua and worked on the family farm.
Before entering the seminary, he was a missionary in Nigeria, Africa as part of his Christian formation within the experience of the Neocatechumenal Way, which he had joined during his college years to help him mature in his faith.
Fr. attended Redemptoris Mater seminary in Kearny, NJ and was assigned as a transitional deacon right here to Our Lady of Mt. Virgin in 1994 during Fr. Paul’s time with us and was ordained in 1995. He celebrated his first Mass here at Mt. Virgin on May 28, 1995. His first three years in the priesthood were spent in St. John the Evangelist parish in Bergenfield and then he went off to St. Joseph’s parish in Penuelas, Puerto Rico, near Ponce, where he was pastor for 5 years.
He then went on to Bridgeport, Connecticut for 6 years as vicar, with Fr. Alphonso Picone, who was himself assigned to Our Lady of Mt. Virgin, as some parishioners may recall.
Fr. Francesco then went back to St. John’s in Bergenfield for 2 years before setting off as a missionary in Ohio on behalf of the Neo catechumenate community. Most recently he was vicar at St. Mary’s in Plainfield, NJ.