Fr. Rick DiLeo dies at age 58

Fr. Rick DiLeo, SCJ, said that he knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a priest.

“I was impressed by how the priests in our parish always spent time with the people,” he said in an interview.  “Being an altar boy allowed me to see how the priests shared in the parishioners’ sorrow, and in their joy.  I too wanted to share my concern for others; I wanted to be available to people and be a part of their lives.”

As a teen, Fr. Rick realized that his call was not only to the priesthood, but to religious life.  Soon after he learned about the Priests of the Sacred Heart he was studying in one of the community’s seminaries.  He professed his first vows with the SCJs in 1971 at the age of 18.

Fr. Rick was a member of the Priests of the Sacred Heart for almost 40 years when he died on July 19.

He earned his Master of Divinity at Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wis., and later a Master’s in Spirituality from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.  Fr. Rick said that he first began his studies with the SCJs thinking that he would be a seminary instructor.  Languages came easily to him and he planned to teach Latin and Spanish.

“But by the time I completed my studies we closed our high school seminaries,” said Fr. Rick.  “So I ended up using my Spanish skills in Hispanic ministry instead.”

Fr. Rick said that often his best ministry assignments were those that weren’t in his plans.  “I didn’t think that I would be in a parish, but I loved it.,” he said. “My experiences in parish ministry have been positive and fulfilling.  I pictured myself remaining in parish ministry for the rest of my life.”

He served at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Houston from 1981-85 but then had another unexpected change in plans.  Fr. Rick was asked to do vocation ministry.  “That had never been in my plans either, but it was another good experience,” he said.  “It just shows that we always have to be open to where the Spirit is leading us.  Often the unexpected turn allows us to share gifts that we never knew we had.”

From vocations, Fr. Rick moved to formation, helping to prepare students studying for religious life and ministry with the Priests of the Sacred Heart.  He was a member of the formation team in Chicago from 1990-94, and then again from 1998-2001.  In between he was back in Houston, serving at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish.

However, before he joined the parish team at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Fr. Rick took on another unexpected assignment:  ministry in the newly developing SCJ district in India.

“I really resisted the idea at first,” he said about going to India.  But members of the General Curia, knowing his background in formation, and knowledge of the congregation, encouraged him to go.

“At first I thought, ‘This isn’t in the plan, I can’t do it,’” said Fr. Rick.  But then he remembered what he had told so many others:  “We have to be open to where the Spirit is leading us.”  And so he allowed the Spirit to lead him to a five-month assignment in India.

“And it was incredible,” he said.  “I am so grateful to God and the Sacred Heart for what I experienced in India.  It reaffirmed my commitment to our community and to the Sacred Heart.  Fr. Tom Cassidy was on the General Council when I was discerning whether I should go to India.  He encouraged me, saying that it would be an opportunity to see another face of God.  I thought of this many times during my months in India.  He was right.  The experience reminded me that we need to go beyond our plans and what we know to see the face of God in ways we never imagined.”

In 2002 Fr. Rick returned to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Houston where he once again served as associate pastor. During his years there he also served on several province committees, as well as at the Generalate during the 2003 General Chapter.  In recent years he was also the primary care-giver for his mother, Esther DiLeo, who died earlier this year.

Funeral arrangements: