A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 10:30 a.m. in the Sacred Heart Oratory in Wilmington, Del., for Capuchin Franciscan Father John Aurilia, the last personal secretary of St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, Italy and a former pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Passaic, N.J., who died on Jan. 13 at St. Francis of Assisi Friary, also in Wilmington. Father Aurilia was 85.
Father Aurilia was considered one of the last direct links to Padre Pio. He also was well known for sharing firsthand accounts of the Italian saint’s mystical gifts and daily life, according to Shekinah Global News.
Born on Dec. 8, 1940, in Montemarano, Italy, Father Aurilia entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order and was ordained a priest in 1966. He spent a month during the first year of his priesthood as the personal secretary of Padre Pio, born Francesco Forgione, ministering from the Capuchin friary in San Giovanni Rotondo in rural Italy.
Father Aurilia witnessed the miracle of the stigmata suffered by St. Pio, like the profuse bleeding in his hands, feet, and left side of his body that corresponded with the wounds suffered by the crucified Christ. This miracle attracted the devotion of faithful around the globe, as well as great fascination and even disbelief from some people, according to a story about Father Aurilia published in The Beacon on Jan. 3, 2013. Padre Pio was canonized a saint in 2002 in Rome.
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“Thousands of people around the world would write to St. Pio for prayers and advice. Hundreds of people would wait in line before his Masses at 4 a.m. It wasn’t St. Pio’s miracles [like the stigmata] that impressed me, but rather his simplicity and humility,” Father Aurilia told the Beacon.
Later, Father Aurilia came to the United States to work with the Italian-speaking community in northern New Jersey, including serving as associate pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Passaic, N.J., from 1974 to 1979, and as pastor of the parish from 2012 to 2015.
Father Aurilia continued his studies of philosophy, earning a doctorate, while serving in various parishes and ministries. He wrote a book, “Dearest Soul: A Spiritual Journey with Padre Pio,” published by Our Sunday Visitor in 2024.
The priest also served in other locations in the Garden State, including the former Don Bosco College, Newton, where he taught ethics; St. Francis Seminary in Lafayette; and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Orange. He also served parishes in New York and North Carolina. Virginia, Florida, and Delaware.
Father Aurilia was predeceased by his sister, Sophia Ricciadi, and his brother, Orazio. He is survived by his sister, Maria Riccio; his brother, Generoso; his nephews, Michael Riccio and Anthony Ricciadi; and his nieces, Emanuela Harting and Nancy Rodriquez, and their spouses and children.
A viewing for Father Aurilia will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 20, beginning in the Sacred Heart Oratory in Wilmington, Del., followed by his 10:30 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial. A repast will be offered at the Francis X. Norton Center after the Mass. Burial will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 11 a.m. at St. Lawrence Friary in Beacon, N.Y.
