OUR PRIESTS
Parish Priest: Fr Raffaele Cossa
I was born in Milan, in northern Italy, and lived in a town called Buccinasco until I was 25. My parents were farmers, so I grew up surrounded by fields and animals, enjoying plenty of fresh air.
After secondary school, I went to university to study physics. I enjoyed it very much, but towards the end of my studies I felt increasingly drawn to giving my life entirely to the Lord in the priesthood. After a period of discernment, I left physics and entered the seminary in Rome, where I completed my formation.
My first mission was in Turin, where I spent two years. I was then sent to Alverca, near Lisbon in Portugal. I remained there for eleven years, growing as a priest among families, young people and children, serving in the parish and in schools.
After eleven years in Portugal, the time came for a new chapter and I was sent to England. As a parish priest, I hope above all to help our parish be a place where people can encounter Christ, grow in faith and experience the joy of belonging to a Christian community.
Fr Luca Speziale
I was born on 3 March 1983 in Pavia, a small city near Milan where St Augustine’s body rests—a presence that has always inspired me with his restless heart and love for Christ and the Church. In 2005 I graduated in Electronic and Information Engineering at the University of Pavia. Just months earlier, on 22 February 2005, Fr Luigi Giussani - whose passion for life had profoundly shaped my journey of faith - had died. That day I felt a clear conviction: the time had come to follow the One whom he had followed so faithfully. This led me to join the Fraternity of St Charles, a community of priests rooted in fraternity and in the charism of Fr Giussani.
I was ordained in 2012 and served for five years at the Navicella Parish in central Rome. On 27 May 2017, the feast of St Augustine of Canterbury, I was sent with Fr Raffaele to England to establish a missionary house in the Diocese of Portsmouth.
I love music of every kind - classical, rock, rock and roll, pop - and I am also passionate about Inter Milan, whose motto “brothers of the world” resonates deeply with me. Today I am grateful to serve the Church here, together with my brother priests and our wonderful parish community.
Fr Matteo Pagani
I was born on 7th May 1991 and grew up in a small village in Brianza, an area north of Milan near the city of Monza, which some may know for its famous Formula 1 Grand Prix.
The eldest of three brothers, I have always been a huge Inter Milan fan, although I have played basketball, my great passion, since a young age.
I studied at the University of Milan, first completing a three-year Economics degree, followed by a Master's in Business and Management. During my time at university, I began to realise that God was calling me to dedicate my whole life to Him. After graduating, I started working while discerning my vocation.
On 8th September 2017, I entered the seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of the Missionaries of St Charles Borromeo in Rome.
I was ordained a deacon on 24th June 2023 and joined our parish of St Swithun Wells that September. On 22nd June 2024, I was ordained a priest in Rome.
Fr Mario Toma
Born near Venice (in north-eastern Italy), just a few hundred metres from the seashore, I spent my youth on the beach, but when I discovered the mountains as a teenager, I fell in love with them and climbing became my favourite sport.
Then, whilst studying electronic engineering at university in Padua and working in Vicenza, I was looking for a girl to start a family with. But I encountered Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. She helped me realise that Jesus was calling me to care for a larger family: the family of the Church.
So I began my priestly journey at the seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of the Missionaries of St Charles Borromeo in Rome. Upon completion, I was first sent to Budapest, in Hungary; then, after a brief stint in Africa that ended due to Covid, I ended up in Prague in the Czech Republic. I tried really hard to learn the language, but with limited success. So, both because of the language and the need for priests in the English mission, I ended up in Eastleigh.
What can I say: the adventure continues. Places change, people change, cultures change, but the destination remains the same: Jesus in Heaven!
Fr Pietro Paiusco
My mother came from a rural area in the south of Italy, and my father came from a small town in the north. They met at university in Milan and got married in 1980. After Rachele and Tecla, it was my turn to be born in Milan in 1987.
We spent our childhood in Legnano, a city of a similar size to Eastleigh. Every Sunday, we used to go to Mass together, and in May, we would pray the rosary. I didn't study much at school until university because I was too busy playing football, riding skateboard, riding motorbikes or playing music with my friends. When I was 18, I met a priest from the Fraternity of St Charles, and I felt a strong calling to live for Christ through the priesthood. I was told to go to university before entering the seminary, and I gained a Master's degree in Physics in 2012. Those were wonderful years: Italy won the World Cup in 2006, Inter Milan made the 'Triplete' in 2010, and my friend and I grew in faith together! In 2012, I was welcomed into our seminary in Rome. In 2015, I was sent to Turin to complete my studies. I was ordained a priest in 2020. Then, in the summer of 2024, I was called to serve the Fraternity of St Charles here in England.