A Sunday, Oct. 11 outdoor Mass for the 46th annual Columbus Italian Festival will be celebrated by Archbishop Bernardito Cleopas Auza, apostolic nuncio to the European Union. Bishop Earl Fernandes and Father Vincent Nguyen, pastor at Columbus St. John the Baptist and Sacred Heart churches located in the Italian Village neighborhood, will concelebrate.
The festival will run Oct. 9-11 at St. John the Baptist, with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass celebrated Sunday, Oct. 11 beginning with a precession at 10:15 a.m. from the ABC6 Entertainment Pavilion at the Carfagna’s Traditional Stage.
As apostolic nuncio to the European Union for the past year, Archbishop Auza, who resides in Belgium, represents the Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City, in its diplomatic relations with the European Union. He was appointed in March 2025 by the late Pope Francis.
“To welcome Archbishop Auza together with Bishop Fernandes and celebrate Mass outdoors in the heart of the festival is a tremendous honor,” Father Nguyen said in a press release announcing the archbishop’s travels from Belgium for the Italian Festival.
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“Our Catholic faith has always been at the heart of this festival, and we look forward to bringing our parishioners, families, volunteers and visitors together for a very special Sunday morning.”
Joe Ingrassia, the Columbus Italian Festival’s director of marketing and communications, said he believes Father Nguyen’s invitation to the archbishop to preside at the festival Mass will add value to the occasion.
“Father Vince is a changemaker,” Ingrassia said. “He wants to see everything be bigger and better, and he really wants to push us forward, and I think that’s where the idea came from. He wanted another draw (to the festival).”
This year’s Italian Festival theme, “Roma Eterna – All Roads Lead to Rome,” makes Archbishop Auza’s presence fitting, given his connections to the Eternal City.
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The archbishop, a Filipino native, attended the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, where he earned a doctorate in sacred theology. Previously, he served as apostolic nuncio to Spain and Andorra and as permanent observer to the United Nations.
Throughout his multiple international assignments since entering the Holy See’s diplomatic service, Archbishop Auza’s speeches at the United Nations General Assembly and committee meetings have unwaveringly upheld the value of human life from conception to natural death.
For more information, visit www.columbusitalianfestival.com.
