The Italian community in San Diego gathered on Thursday, March 9, to participate in a funeral service for Father Louis Solcia at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church located in Little Italy.
Father Figure
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Solcia, who served as an associate pastor at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church for a long time, passed away on Thursday, March 2, at the age of 91.
He was not only a religious father but also a paternal figure to numerous members of San Diego's Italian community.
Having worked at the church since 1990, he had become a permanent presence in the community.
He was famous for his extended lines for confessions and his kind and gentle personality.
According to those who were close to the pastor, his memory and influence will continue through the church, which has been a central institution for the Italian-American community since its inception in 1925.
At Solcia's vigil held on Wednesday evening, his spiritual daughter Crystalina Evert spoke about how he was a genuine father figure to everyone. She stated how he was willing to tell them the difficult truths but always with affection.
Evert also stated that his impact on people's lives was evident by the crowd that had come together to pay their respects.
In the aftermath of his death, the Little Italy community has united to commemorate the beloved pastor.
More than a hundred people gathered at the church on Wednesday to offer prayers, sing hymns, and show their condolences.
Many members of the congregation prayed while the clergy led the service.
The funeral Mass for Father Solcia was conducted by Auxiliary Bishop Ramón Bejarano on Thursday morning, with even more people attending than the previous day.
During his 33 years of service at Our Lady of the Rosary, Solcia played a significant role in safeguarding the traditions and history of the church and Little Italy, according to Luke Vinci, one of Little Italy Association's executive board members.
Solcia immediately felt at home at Our Lady of the Rosary due to the large Italian community, according to a previous interview he gave to the Union-Tribune.
Marcia Buompensiero, a long-time member of the parish, remembered how Solcia used to encourage the congregation to love one another.
She recalled how he stated that although not everyone was Italian, they were all part of one big Italian family.
Solcia was like a father figure to many people, always willing to listen to their problems and offer them wise advice and prayers.
His signature phrase, "God bless you real good," was a reflection of his compassion and love for his parishioners and was well-known to almost everyone.
Father Peter Calabrese, a fellow Barnabite priest, stated that Solcia's adaptation of "God bless you" took away any cliché potential and had a profound effect on the people who heard it.
God-filled Life
Solcia was born on Nov. 15, 1931, in Cologno Monzese, which is located near Milan, Italy.
At the age of 14, he followed in his uncle's footsteps and enrolled in the Barnabite Seminary.
He pursued further studies in Italy and was ordained on Dec. 8, 1957, at the age of 26 in the Clerics Regular of St. Paul.
Solcia and Father Steve Grancini, another much-loved pastor at Our Lady of the Rosary who passed away in 2015, attended the same seminary in Italy.
In the late 1950s, they were part of a group sent to Buffalo, New York, to teach at a Catholic high school.
Despite not knowing English, Solcia quickly learned the language and even enrolled in school to continue his studies.
Solcia taught at various Catholic high schools in the country.
He later ministered at two Canadian parishes and held leadership roles in Barnabite communities before he was sent to San Diego in 1990.
Although he stopped leading noon Mass at the church about two and a half years before his death, he continued to conduct daily Mass at his residence.
Over the years, he acted as a chaplain and spiritual advisor for various organizations.
It included the Knights of Columbus, the Bernardi Center at Rady Children's Hospital, and the Padre Pio devotions.
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