Stanislaus Vincent Bona
Stanislaus Vincent Bona (October 1, 1888 – December 1, 1967) was an American Catholic bishop who led two dioceses in the United States. He was bishop of Grand Island, Nebraska (1932–1944) and later bishop of Green Bay, Wisconsin (1945–1967).
He was born in Chicago to John and Catherine Bona, Polish immigrants, and grew up with five siblings; his brother Thomas P. Bona was also a priest. Stanislaus studied at St. Stanislaus College in Chicago and in Rome, earning advanced church degrees. He was ordained a priest on November 1, 1912, for the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Bona served as a parish priest, a resident chaplain at the Chicago House of Corrections, a professor at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, and pastor of St. Casimir Parish. He was made a monsignor in 1931 and worked with religious communities of women.
In 1932 he became the bishop of Grand Island, Nebraska, and was consecrated on February 25, 1932. During World War II, he ministered to German and Italian prisoners of war in his diocese.
In 1944 he was named coadjutor bishop of Green Bay and titular bishop of Mela, and he became bishop of Green Bay after the death of Bishop Rhode in 1945. In Green Bay, Bona founded 67 grade schools, four high schools, Holy Family College in Manitowoc, and Sacred Heart Seminary. He started a diocesan newspaper and reformed Catholic Charities to better assist migrants and others in need. He attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965).
Bona died in Green Bay on December 1, 1967, at age 79. His cabin in Minong, Wisconsin, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 11:58 (CET).