Interview with George Nincheri

George Nincheri talks about his life growing up in Montreal during World War II and his father Guido Nincheri's career as an artist. George describes his father’s childhood in Italy, and how he was able to win a scholarship to an arts college. After immigrating to Canada, Guido worked primarily doing contracts for a number of churches. George describes being a model for his father's work, and appearing as an altar boy or an angel in church paintings. Despite his protests, Guido was forced to paint a fresco of Mussolini on the walls of the Madonna della Difesa Church, which branded him as a fascist, and eventually led him to be arrested and sent to Camp Petawawa. His wife, Julia, was able to arrange his release after three months by showing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Guido's original sketches for the church, which did not include the portrait of Mussolini. As a teenager, George entered a seminary and trained in priesthood. As a priest, he served communities in both Ottawa and Montreal, and found that his three languages held him in his work with immigrant communities.