Milan, ITALY — On March 4, 2026, in Milan, at the friary of St. Francis and St. Mary of the Angels, the Provinces of Genoa and Piedmont were officially incorporated into the Province of Lombardy, which was named Province of St. Francis of the Capuchin Friars Minor.
It was a day of fraternity and joy with the participation of about three hundred friars, including those from the provinces involved, members from the CEMCap Conference and more. Several sisters connected with the Capuchins and a delegation from the OFS also responded to the invitation.
The Official Proclamation
At 10 a.m., the official proclamation of unification began with a liturgical ceremony inside the Rosetum Theater, adjacent to the friary. The liturgy, prepared specifically for the occasion, united the voices of the participants in a reading of the unification decree.
In his homily, General Minister Br. Roberto Genuin emphasized that the process should not be considered solely from an organizational or administrative point of view. On the contrary, he defined it as a great opportunity in which the divine call resounds, and it is a time of grace to reaffirm together the clear desire to serve the Lord with our lives, our work, and the strengths we have at our disposal. He then recalled the “Blessing of St. Francis” and pointed to two Franciscan pillars that must accompany the province on this new journey: mutual love and deep love for Holy Mother Church. Finally, he asked the friars to observe “Our Lady, holy poverty”. At the moment of the unification of the circumscriptions, in which their histories, similar in some ways and different in others, are “put together,” he recalled how relevant is the message that Pope Francis gave during our audience at the last General Chapter: those who keep everything for themselves and do not open themselves to the gift “have not yet begun to be Capuchins”. True poverty consists in knowing how to give who one is and what one has.
The decree outlines the long history of the Capuchins in northwestern Italy and the canton of Ticino in Switzerland, which dates back to 1530 and has seen a succession of transformations of the circumscriptions themselves over almost five centuries of uninterrupted presence, up to the time of the three provinces, which have now become one. The evangelization activity and social work of these friars have enriched the local Church and have made their mark on civil society. Their missionary zeal has brought our charism to many countries, where new circumscriptions were then established, some of which became provinces and others still dependent on the Italian province. The fruitfulness of evangelical life is also witnessed by the saints and blessed whom the Church has recognized among our ranks: St. Francis Mary of Camporosso, St. Ignatius of Santhià, Blessed Innocent of Berzo and Blessed Arsenius of Trigolo. In the concluding part of the decree, the new provincial administration was presented, composed of seven friars who are to lead the province for the first three years.
After a short pause, at 12:00 noon, the friars celebrated the Eucharist presided by the Archbishop of Milan, Most Rev. Mario Delpini, who in his homily thanked the Capuchins for their evangelical witness and work in the region through the centuries. He emphasized that in this new journey, they must be careful not to “fall into the temptation of living in the past as an ‘ex’ (I am from the former province…) but rather to look to the future with hope”. He then recalled some significant dimensions for fraternal life.
This was followed by a wonderfully prepared meal, which gave the friars time to relax and chat, encouraging conversation and getting to know each other.
The Road to Unification
The path towards the unification of the Provinces of Piedmont, Lombardy, and Genoa officially began in 2021, but various collaborations were already underway before that. After two years of close dialogue and joint work, the prospect of unification was presented to the Provincial Chapters of 2023, where it received solid support from all those involved. In the same year, the three-year period 2023-2026 was officially established as the deadline for completing the union, which accelerated the work already underway.
To promote mutual understanding and unity, assemblies, retreats, monthly council meetings, and a pilgrimage of a relic of St. Francis to all the houses were organized, and various joint commissions were established for different areas of activity. Finally, in the fall of 2025, the visit of the General Councilors, who listened to each individual friar, marked the last crucial stage, paving the way toward consultation for the appointment of the new Provincial Minister and his Councilors.
Provincial Minister and His Council
With the issuance of the decree, the General Minister appointed the first superiors of the newly established province based on the results of the consultation. They are:
Br. Angelo Borghino, Provincial Minister
Br. Roberto Rossi Raccagni, First Councilor and Vicar Provincial
Br. Daniele Rebuzzini, Second Councilor
Br. Agostino Valsecchi, Third Councilor
Br. Alessandro Freccero, Fourth Councilor
Br. Pierangelo Chiera, Fifth Councilor
Br. Biju James, Sixth Councilor
The new Province of St. Francis of Assisi in Italy has about 340 friars in the territory and about 180 in the circumscriptions dependent on it (Custodies of Cameroon, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, and Delegation of Thailand). We ask the Lord to turn to you and let his face shine upon you as you work together to strengthen and fortify this new provincial fraternity, which we entrust to the intercession of St. Francis.
