Father Roberto Malgesini was born in the town of Morbegno and graduated college as an accountant. After working for three years at the Banca Popolare di Sondrio, he became seriously discerning the priesthood and began training for the Priesthood in 1992. In 1997, Father Malgesini became a deacon in Sondrio, serving the communities of Socco and Bulgorello. On June 13th, 1998, Father Malgesini was ordained a Priest.
Soon after becoming ordained, Father Malgesini was assigned first as parish priest in Gravedona and then in Lipomo by Msgr. Alessandro Maggiolini, the Bishop of Como. In 2008, he began serving the poor community from the church of San Rocco in Como with a group of volunteers. In 2019, he was fined by the state and local police for providing meals to the homeless living under the portico of a former church. Father Malgesini was soon known to the locals as the "priest of the humble".
On the morning of September 15th, 2020, Father Malgesini was preparing breakfast for the poor and homeless when he was stabbed to death by a 53 year old man from Tunisia. This man had been a friend of Father Malgesini and at least on one occasion had been allowed to sleep in one of the rooms for the homeless run by the parish. The man turned himself in later that day, admitting to the crime; police say the man has a long history of mental illness and felt remorse for the terrible attack. Father Malgesini died from multiple stab wounds to the neck.
Father Andrea Mesaggi told La Stampa:
“Roberto was a simple person. He just wanted to be a priest and years ago he made this wish explicit to the former bishop of Como. For this he was sent to St. Rocco, where every morning he brought hot breakfasts to the least. Here everyone knew him, they all loved him.”
Bishop Oscar Cantoni also said:
“we are proud as a bishop and as a Church of a priest who gave his life for Jesus in the ‘least ones.’”
The Father was buried on Spptember 18th in Regoledo di Cosio after the funeral presided over by Bishop Msgr. Oscar Cantoni. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the Pope's almsgiver, presided over the celebration of the death of Father Malgesini on September 19th. Pope Francis called him a "witness of charity towards the poorest" and recalled him as an example among
"faithful servants of God, who do not make people talk about themselves, but live thus, serving"
The President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, signed the decree conferring the gold medal for civil merit in memory of Father Roberto Malgesini on October 7, 2020.
