Fortunato Maria Farina

On June 21, 1919, Pope Benedict XV appointed him Bishop of Troia. Despite his initial reluctance due to his humility, he accepted this charge and received episcopal consecration in Rome on August 10, 1919, at the hands of Cardinal Gaetano De Lai. He made his solemn entry into the Cathedral of Troia on November 30, 1919.

His pastoral action was characterized by exceptional dynamism and constant attention to the most destitute. Given the success of his administration, the Holy See decided to unify the dioceses of Troia and Foggia under his leadership. After being appointed Apostolic Administrator of Foggia twice (in 1921 and 1924), he was named Bishop of Foggia ad personam by Pope Pius XI on December 18, 1924, thus uniting the two episcopal sees.

Among his major achievements are the reconstruction of the Cathedral of Foggia, which had been damaged by lightning, and the foundation in 1933 of the Santa Milizia di Gesù, an association of diocesan priests dedicated to the evangelical counsels. He actively supported Don Pasquale Uva in the construction of the psychiatric hospital of Foggia, founded the Saint Michael Work for youth, and the Minor Seminary for vocations (Piccoli Amici di Gesù). On April 26, 1950, he entrusted the Sanctuary of the Incoronata to the Sons of Divine Providence (Don Orione).

Bishop Farina was also a precious support for several contemporaries engaged in paths of holiness, such as Don Giustino Russolillo, Blessed Maria Teresa Casini, and Father Bernardo Sartori. Afflicted by serious health problems, he resigned from the government of the Diocese of Troia on May 15, 1951, and then from that of Foggia on February 1, 1954. He was then appointed Titular Archbishop of Adrianopolis in Honorias. He passed away in Foggia on February 20, 1954.

The reputation of holiness of Bishop Farina, already very vivid during his lifetime, continued to grow after his death. As early as November 4, 1961, the Chapter of the Cathedral of Foggia addressed an initial petition to the bishop at the time, Bishop Paolo Carta, to open his canonization process. Priests from the dioceses of Troia and Foggia formulated similar requests in December 1961, and again in 1964 and 1965 under the episcopate of Bishop Giuseppe Lenotti. The diocesan inquiry process regarding his life, virtues, and reputation for holiness was officially opened on September 12, 1992, in the Cathedral of Foggia by Archbishop Giuseppe Casale. The closing session of this diocesan phase took place on May 24, 2008, at the Sanctuary of the Incoronata in Foggia, under the presidency of Archbishop Francesco Pio Tamburrino. During this inquiry, 122 witnesses were questioned and thousands of pages of documents and writings (including his spiritual diary and pastoral letters) were collected by the historical commission.

On November 23, 2020, Pope Francis received in audience Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Fortunato Maria Farina. By this act, Bishop Farina was declared venerable.

For his beatification to be pronounced, the Church now requires the official recognition of a miracle obtained through his intercession.

The spirituality of Bishop Farina was based on a total abandonment to the divine will and a profound spirit of offering. In his spiritual journal, he wrote: "I have offered myself as a victim to whatever it may please the Lord to dispose of me for the salvation of souls." His interior life was nourished by fervent Eucharistic adoration and a filial devotion to the Virgin Mary, particularly under the titles of the Iconavetere (the Virgin of the Seven Veils) and the Incoronata.

His legacy is marked by his heroic charity during the Second World War. During the terrible bombings that devastated the city of Foggia in the summer of 1943, he refused to leave the city, choosing to remain in the midst of his people to assist the wounded, comfort the survivors, and organize emergency aid. He sent a poignant report to Pope Pius XII describing the distress of the population.

On a pastoral level, he showed modern intuition by understanding very early on the importance of media for evangelization. He took a close interest in film distribution and created the Catholic Film Center of Foggia. In tribute to this initiative, the diocesan cinema hall in Foggia today bears his name: the "Sala Farina."