Father Francis J. Pileggi, 92, died April 25 at Christiana Hospital. He had been a professed member of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales for 73 years and ordained almost 65.
He was born in Willow Grove, Pa., but met the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Wilmington. He attended Salesianum, graduating in 1951. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1961 at St. Anthony of Padua Church by Oblate Bishop Edward Schlotterback.
Father Pileggi was a familiar face to students at North Catholic High School in Philadelphia, where he served for 35 years, then at Salesianum School in Wilmington, where he spent another 18. He ministered mainly at parishes in the Philadelphia area. He also taught at Oblate high schools in Utah and Michigan.
He also served as a parochial vicar in the 1970s at three parishes in New Jersey before returning to secondary education. In addition, Father Pileggi helped the Oblate community in many important fundraising positions and was coordinator of the DeSales Seminary Association, which helped support young men in formation. For 22 years, he was director of the DeSales Guild of Philadelphia, a group of laypeople who helped spread the Salesian virtues of friendship and hospitality.
Father Pileggi was a fourth-degree Knight of Columbus and was chaplain at St. Pius X Council in Wilmington. He began his tenure at Salesianum in 2000. He moved to the Oblate Retirement Facility in Childs, Md., in 2023 for health reasons.
Funeral services were April 30 at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Wilmington. Burial was in the Oblate plot at Cathedral Cemetery in Wilmington. Donations in his memory can be made to the Oblate Development Office, P.O. Box 87, Childs, MD 21916 or at www.oblates.org.
