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Rev. Francis Milton Banfil

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The Rev. Francis Milton Banfil was born on 30 May 1862 in Nashua, New Hampshire, the son of William K. and Nancy (Boyce) Banfil. He was a graduate of Dartmouth, attended General Theological Seminary and graduated from there in 1894. His first call came as a missionary in Broadhead, Wisconsin, followed by service as curate of St. Stephen's Church in Providence, Rhode Island. He then served as rector of St. James, South Bend, from 1898 to 1909. During his tenure the pledge system was adopted and many objects of art and other fixtures were added to the church. He also donated a number of paintings that he brought back from a trip to Italy. Banfil suffered a nervous breakdown in 1909, causing him to lose sight temporarily in one eye. He recovered, served for a time on the faculty of Howe School, and in 1911 became rector of the Church of the Ascension in Chicago. He then went to All Saints Church, Ashmont, Massachusetts, where he served during World War I. He remained unmarried and later returned to New Hampshire, dying at Milton on 14 June 1946. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Nashua.