11/07/2025
Fr. Giovanni Bonzanino was born on January 29, 1927, in Biella, Italy, to Vittorio and Alberta Maria Bonzanino. He joined the Consolata Missionaries and was ordained a Catholic priest on June 28, 1953. The following year, in December 1954, he arrived in Kenya and was posted to the historic Mujwa Catholic Mission as an assistant parish priest. Mujwa was the first parish established by the Consolata Fathers upon their arrival in Meru in 1911. This marked the beginning of a lifelong love for the people, hills, and culture of Meru.
By the mid-1950s, Fr. Bonzanino had already begun to make his mark in the region. He was appointed chaplain to the newly founded Nazareth Sisters, a diocesan congregation established in 1955 by the first Bishop of Meru, Msgr. Lorenzo Vittorio Bessone IMC. Their motherhouse was based in Nkabune, then a growing outstation of Mujwa Mission. It was here, in Nkabune, that Fr. Bonzanino would form deep and lasting bonds with the community.
In 1957, he was appointed parish priest of St. Joseph's Cathedral in Meru Town, a position he held until 1963. During this time, he also served as Editor-in-Chief of Twi Ba Meru, a diocesan magazine written in Kimeru that provided a powerful platform for faith formation, cultural education, and pastoral communication during a time of political awakening. His work in journalism was not peripheral, but central to his mission of evangelization.
In 1963, as Kenya gained independence, Bishop Bessone appointed him the first parish priest of Holy Family Catholic Parish, Nkabune. His mission was visionary: to build a modern church, establish social services, and guide the faithful toward self-reliance and spiritual maturity. He poured his heart into this work with tireless dedication.
Among the institutions that benefited from Fr. Bonzanino’s leadership was the Nkabune Girls Commercial School, whose roots can be traced to 1964 when the Consolata Sisters began training social workers and clerks in the area. Though the elevation into a full Technical Training Institute came later in 1986, Fr. Bonzanino’s early support, particularly in collaboration with the Consolata Sisters, was vital in laying the groundwork for what would eventually become Nkabune Technical Training Institute, now a leading center for vocational education in Meru. He was also instrumental in supporting the local parish dispensary, which continues to serve the surrounding community under the care of the Nazareth Sisters.
Additionally, Nkabune Intermediate School, which later became Nkabune Girls Commercial, and Nkabune Primary School too received renewed attention and support during his tenure, aligning with his vision for holistic community development through faith and education.
He also helped establish and support DOM Nkabune Orphanage, a home for vulnerable children. As chaplain and spiritual father to the Nazareth Sisters, he supported their ministries in health care, catechesis, and education with deep pastoral commitment.
One of Fr. Bonzanino’s most visible and lasting achievements was the completion of the new parish church at Nkabune in 1967. This great milestone was made possible through the generous contributions of parishioners and with immense support from his family, friends, and donors back in Italy. His mother, Maria Bonzanino, was especially instrumental, often visiting the parish with friends and fellow benefactors from Biella. On the Feast of the Holy Family in December 1967, the new church was solemnly consecrated by Bishop Bessone and dedicated to the Holy Family. With the church completed and his mission fulfilled, Fr. Bonzanino set his sights on new frontiers.
In 1968, after nearly sixteen years of work in Meru, Fr. Bonzanino was appointed Vicar Episcopal of the North Eastern Province, with headquarters in Garissa. He later served in Mandera, and in 1975, he moved to Ethiopia, where he became Apostolic Administrator in Shashemane. There, he founded a school for the visually impaired and continued to serve the poor and the most vulnerable with his characteristic dedication.
He passed away in Shashemane on January 30, 1983, at the age of 56. True to his wish, he was laid to rest in Africa, the continent he had served, loved, and called home.
Fr. Bonzanino was not only a priest, but a poet, journalist, linguist, and author. As Editor of Twi Ba Meru, he brought pastoral dialogue into the heart of the local language. He was a polyglot with a strong command of Kimeru, which deepened his pastoral connection with the people. He authored several books and essays, including Mia Africa (My Africa), Africa Casa Mia (Africa My Home), and Cittadini d’Africa (Citizens of Africa). His poetry and writing captured both the spiritual and cultural heartbeat of the African missions he served.
In his writings, he once reflected: “I was not born in Africa. How I wish I had been born in this lush, gentle Africa, where life flows softly like a breeze through giant trees.” He carried Africa in his heart and Meru in his soul.
Today, Holy Family Parish Nkabune stands as a living monument to his work. The institutions he helped shape continue to serve and grow. The communities he nurtured remain firm in faith. The Nazareth Sisters he mentored continue their mission of healing, formation, and compassion.
We remember Fr. Giovanni Bonzanino IMC not only as our first parish priest, but as a man whose dreams were planted in the soil of Nkabune and whose legacy continues to bear fruit for generations.
May his soul rest in eternal peace.
