O, beautiful Valley of San Leonardo | Book Presentation

Mons. Marino Qualizza, the last "čedermac" - Slovenian priest of the Archdiocese of Udine -, was a distinguished theologian, journalist, and editor-in-chief of Dom. He was born in San Leonardo/Sv. Lenart on October 6, 1940.

After elementary school in his hometown, he entered the minor seminary in Udine. After graduating from high school, his superiors sent him to Rome to study theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University. After completing his studies, he was ordained a priest at Udine Cathedral on June 29, 1965, and celebrated his first Mass in San Leonardo/Podutana. He then became a teacher at the seminary’s high school. In 1969, he earned a doctorate in Dogmatic Theology from the Gregorian University in Rome.

From 1970 to 2014, he was a professor of dogmatic theology at the Udine Seminary and at the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences, which he helped establish in 1986 and directed for 25 years. He wrote numerous books on theology. From 1989 to 2003, he served on the governing board of the Association of Italian Theologians. From 1984 to 1987, he served as pastor of Udine Cathedral and was subsequently appointed an honorary canon.

Mons. Qualizza consistently advocated for the rights of Slovenes in the Province of Udine and worked closely with Slovenian organizations. From 1982 until his death in 2025, apart from a brief period, he served as editor-in-chief of Dom. In 2022, President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor awarded him the Medal for Merit in recognition of his many years of tireless work supporting the spiritual and cultural development of Slovenes in Benečija, Resia/Rezija, and Valcanale/Kanalska dolina.

For 37 years, until the summer of 2024, he celebrated Sunday Mass in Drenchia/Dreka. On Saturdays, he celebrated Mass in Slovenian in San Pietro al Natisone/Špeter and was a strong advocate for bilingual religious education, which began in 2017.