Father Luciano Felloni was laid to rest at a cemetery in Quezon City on Monday, with calls to honor the legacy of the “very passionate” priest and his deep love for the Church and country.
At the funeral on Monday, Bishop Roberto Gaa of Novaliches led mourners and praised the Argentine priest’s dedication to ministry and to communities.
“He was the kind of person who was very spirited. He never entered any endeavor half-heartedly,” Gaa said in his homily at San Bartolome Parish Church.
“Whether it’s social action, parish work, or in social communication… he fully committed to it,” he said.
Felloni died Feb. 2 at 51, following complications from skin cancer.
His last assignment was as parish priest of Jesus, Lord of the Divine Mercy Parish in Quezon City’s Mapayapa village and director of the diocese’s social communications ministry.
Despite his illness, Gaa said, Feloni remained energetically engaged in his work.
“May what he started be continued… perhaps in a different manner, but with the same passion, the same intimacy, and the same spirited engagement that we received from Father Luciano,” he said.
“He is now passing on that legacy to us. Let us not let this love and service end with him. I hope we can continue this. If we can’t do it alone, like Father Luciano did, let us seek out others and work together,” Gaa added.
From 2011 to 2019, he also served as executive director of Caritas Novaliches and as coordinator of the diocese’s Social Service Development Ministry from 2013 to 2019.
“His deep love for the Church and commitment to justice, especially for the marginalized and victims of violence, embodied the true essence of Christian service,” said Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, president of Caritas Philippines.
After the funeral Mass, Felloni’s remains were buried at the diocese’s Clergy Plot at Manila Memorial Park Holy Cross in Novaliches.
