Today, we want to share with you – thanks to Italy’s Catholic TV station TV2000's docu-series Eccomi (“Here I Am”) – the story of Fr. Antonio Celletti, parochial vicar at St. Irenaeus Parish in Rome, Italy. He’s a widower, father, and grandfather, and he was ordained a priest in 2018 at the age of 68.
The widower and former Italian Air Force general who was ordained a priest at 68
Fr. Antonio Celletti is a widower, father, and grandfather ... and now he's been ordained a priest!
Source: Tv2000it via Youtube
After his wife’s death, Celletti eventually became a permanent deacon, and then the idea of the priesthood came up.
Fr. Antonio Celletti’s call before the call
Antonio was born into a simple family – his father was a factory worker, his mother a housewife – and as a boy he took part in the Scouts. That experience would prove to be very important for his formation.
He had a happy marriage with Luciana, and their dream was crowned with the birth of their daughter. Shortly thereafter, however, his wife was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that soon led to a need for dialysis.
His wife's illness
Antonio and Luciana faced all the trials of the disease together, including a complex organ transplant operation and 20 surgeries. They were always by each other's side:
At his wife’s side until her death
On November 23, 2006, Luciana died, an indelible date in Antonio's memory:
Fr. Antonio, barely containing his emotion, says, “Faith has helped me, because I’ve always considered her to be alive, and in fact I feel her close to me, and she’s here right now, together with us.”
The family’s reactions to their dad and grandad becoming a priest
When Antonio informed his daughter that he would become a priest, she was initially stunned, afraid of losing her father. However, she then came around and accepted it with joy. Fr. Antonio says, “Things that come from God always have a positive connotation. In the end she admitted, ‘I was afraid of losing you, but not only did I not lose you; I actually gained something.”
His two granddaughters were also stunned at their grandpa's decision. Maria, his oldest granddaughter (9 years old at the time) had a sweet conversation with him: "But will you still be my grandpa?" "Of course." "And will I still be able to play with you?" "Of course." "Then that's fine."
"My task is to bring God's mercy to people."
Fr. Celletti concludes his testimony by sharing memories of his first Eucharistic celebration:
The story of this vocation is a shining testimony to what Blessed Chiara Corbella Petrillo said: “What God wants for us is much more beautiful than anything we could imagine to ask for.”
