Thirty-One Days of Italians

The purpose of this website is to educate others about the significant contributions that those of Italian heritage have made to America. Biographies range from one to several paragraphs providing an overview, and links to a collection of selected resources are provided for more in-depth research. The information is intended to be shared and distributed; however, the work in this website is a result of massive hours of researching, organizing, creating, and writing. If you use any of the information on this website, please give proper credit by citing Thirty-One Days of Italians and adding a link to this website. Thank you.

HUMANITARIANS

Father Pietro Bandini [HM] 1852-1917 A native of Forli (region of Emilia-Romagna), Bandini was 17 when he became a Jesuit novice, studying philosophy for several years. He was ordained a priest in 1877, and assigned a Chaplin (near his home town of Forli), where he established a school for children. Father Bandini first came to America in the early 1880s as a missionary for Native Americans in the northwest. He returned to Italy for a short time, then traveled back to America to assist Italian immigrants in New York City. His previous travels through Arkansas brought him back when he learned of a group of immigrants, who had settled in Sunnyside Plantation to work the cotton fields, now needed help. Recalling an area in the Ozarks similar to Italy’s environment, he assisted in purchasing the land, relocated the immigrants, and established Tontitown in 1898, named after Enrico Tonti, the Father of Arkansas. By 1905, Tontitown was considered the "perfect example of colonization," and in 1909 the town was incorporated with Father Bandini as its first mayor. Through Father Bandini’s efforts and guidance, the Italian immigrants of Tontitown had cultivated the land into vineyards, producing grapes for wine and the Concord grape for commercial use. Pietro Bandini [Encyclopedia of Arkansas] Italians in Arkansas: Father Pietro Bandini and Tontitown Italians in Arkansas The Tontitown Story Tontitown Grape Festival History Keeping the Past Safe Father Geno Baroni (1930-1984) Born in Pennsylvania – his father was an Italian immigrant who worked in the coal mines –  Baroni was 26 when he was ordained a priest. He was particularly concerned about the decline of urban neighborhoods and became actively involved in their rehabilitation. During the 1960s and 70s, he was an inspiration to many who became involved in public affairs, and is often cited as the “activist priest” for his work in humanizing urban life through a combination of faith and community. Serving under President Jimmy Carter as Assistant Secretary in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Father Baroni was known for his dedication to improving race relations and the general quality of inner city neighborhoods. Father Geno founded and was president of the National Center for Urban Ethnic Affairs and founded the Urban Rehabilitation Corporation, the forerunner to Housing Counseling Services.

  Mother Francis Cabrini [HM] (1850-1917) With a desire to become a missionary at a young age, Francis Cabrini - in frail health since birth - devoted her life to helping others. She was born near Milan, in the region of Lombardia when it was under Austrian rule. She attended a catholic school for women where she received her teaching certificate, but was denied a teaching job there because of her health. After taking vows in 1877 and adding Xavier to her name in honor of Francis Xavier (one of the founders of the Jesuits), Mother Cabrini founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At the Bishop’s request – and upon the advice of Pope Leo XIII – in 1889 she came to America to work with the Italian immigrants. Once in New York, she quickly established an orphanage, convent, and school to teach catechism. Over the years she traveled back and forth to Italy, throughout America and throughout the world to establish 67 missions, orphanages, hospitals, and schools, one for each year of her life. She became an American citizen in 1909. After her death in Chicago, her body was interred in West Park, New York, near the Hudson River. Her remains were later moved to the Mother Cabrini High School chapel in NYC. After she was canonized a saint, in 1946, most of her body was enshrined under glass in the high school chapel. To accommodate the numerous pilgrimages, in 1957, a new shrine was built. Other shrines are in Chicago and Golden, Colorado. Mother Cabrini was the first American citizen to become a saint. In 2019, Mother Cabrini became mired in a controversy caused by a campaign to erect statues of women throughout the five boroughs of New York City. Although she received the most votes, Mother Cabrini was overlooked by the committee. The uproar for a public statue of Mother Cabrini caused the formation of a New York State commission to oversee artists’ proposals and to determine a location for the placement of the statue. in October 2020, the statue of Mother Cabrini was positioned on the southern tip of Manhattan in Battery Park, looking across the New York Harbor to the Statue of Liberty. In June 2021, a statue – funded by parishioners of the Diocese of Brooklyn – was placed next to the church were Mother Cabrini first began her mission of restoring the faith of immigrants and the homeless. Who is Francis Cabrini? St. Francis Xavier Cabrini Biography [Fordham University] The National Shrine of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini in Chicago St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine, New York City Mother Cabrini Shrine, Colorado Mother Cabrini Statue Will Be Placed in Battery Park   NEW Mother Cabrini Memorial [Battery Park] New Mother Cabrini Statue Stands Proud and Tall Outside Brooklyn Parish Where She Served

Eusebio Francisco Chini [Kino] 1645-1711 Born in Segno (north of Trento in the region of Trentino-Alto Adige), Chini received a broad education, but endured a long illness. After his recovery and upon becoming a Jesuit, he took the name Francisco as a tribute to Francis Xavier (one of the founders of the Jesuits). His religious training and education began in Trent and he later studied in Germany. He excelled in mathematics – that he also taught - and had an interest in cartography, with hopes of traveling to China as a missionary.     After completing his education with the Jesuits, he was sent to Mexico (part of New Spain) in the early 1680s, but was delayed in Spain for several years. Once arriving in Mexico, as part of an expedition, he was sent to Baja California to start a mission and to chart the land; at the time, it was thought of as a separate island. Father Chini and the group of settlers stayed for three years, but were not able to establish a permanent mission. During that time, Father Chini traveled across the land and discovered that Baja California was a peninsula. In 1687, Father Chini was sent to the Pimería Alta region (now Southern Arizona and Northern Sonora, Mexico) to establish missions. Although it was the Spaniards attempts to gain control of the land and people, Chini protected the natives and their rights. More than 20 missions were built in the region, and through his numerous explorations – on horseback – he also charted maps of the region, many that were used until the early 1800s. One mission he established in Tumacácori is now part of a National Historic Park in Arizona, ans statues of Father Chini are located throughout the regions he traveled.    In July 2020, Father Chini was officially recognized by Pope Francis for his “heroic virtues.” The designation brings Father Chini one step closer to canonization, a move that is supported by the combined efforts of archdioceses in Sonora, Tuscan, and Segno. Kino Historical Society Kino’s Mission in Baja California Passage by Land to California Discovered by Father Eusebius Francis Kino Tumacácori: Culture, Nature, and Community Eusebio Francisco Kino: Chronology Kino Missions in Sonora, Mexico Padre Kino, Declared Venerable, … Padre Kino Known as ‘Patron Saint of Borderlands’ Pope Francis Recognizes 'Padre Kino,' Arizona's Missionary Priest Fr. Eusebio Francisco Kino, S.J., Servant of God, Proclaimed a Man of Heroic Virtue Father Kino Celebration in Tucson of '3 Statues for 3 Nations' … The Legacy of Father Eusebio Francisco Kino  Father Kino's Lasting Legacy By the Ways of Kino – We Seek a Saint [YouTube Video]

2022-23 List of Names

2023-24 List of Names

The Baroni Principles [PDF] A Little Bit About Geno [by Lawrence O’Rourke, Baroni Biographer - PDF] Father Baroni and Community Development