Pale Antonelli, 100

Monsignor Louis Antonelli died yesterday at the Rota Health Center in Songsong surrounded by some of the parishioners that he shepherded during his close to five decades of serving the CNMI’s southernmost island. He celebrated his 100th birthday only last Sept. 23, 2018.

The Diocese of Chalan Kanoa has yet to issue an official statement. A wake and rosary were held as Antonelli’s remains will be buried today as he wished.

More popularly known on Rota as “Pale Antonelli,” he was a member of the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata founded by Gaspar Bertoni and was among the second batch of Stigmatines that arrived in the island of Guam in the late 1940s.

He was part of the Stigmatines that were assigned to Guam after Bishop Apollinaris Baumgartner, OFM Cap., asked for priests that would staff the Father Duenas Memorial School minor seminary. He later helped establish the Eskuelan San Francisco de Borja on Rota in 1989.

Messages of condolences and thanks flooded the social media platform Facebook, and most of those messages were from parishioners who are not only from the island of Rota but even those who are from Rota and are currently in the U.S. mainland.

Sen. Paul A. Manglona (Ind-Rota) told Saipan Tribune that the people of Rota are thankful for the Pennsylvania-native Antonelli for making the island his second home.

“We just received the sad news that Pale Antonelli passed away this [yesterday] evening,” said Manglona. “Pale lived his priesthood with all his heart, not caring about being recognized, yet his light shone bright for all to see, from Pennsylvania and all over the mainland to Guam, Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. The people of Rota had a deep love for him.”

Monsignor Louis Antonelli

The Senate gave a resolution, S.R. 16-22 introduced by Manglona, to Antonelli in 2008 honoring the priest for his years of serving the people of Rota.

Sen. Teresita A. Santos (Ind-Rota) said the people of Rota were saddened upon hearing the news of Antonelli’s passing “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. The people of Rota will forever remember the many happy memories that we had spent with him.”

“He has served the people of Rota for many years and what he has done to us will continue to linger in our minds. It is a sad news, may his soul peacefully rest in the arms of God,” added Santos in a telephone interview.

Santos said the people of Rota will be forever grateful for the decades of service that Antonelli wholeheartedly gave. “He brought the people closer to God. Monsignor Antonelli is a priest that will really reach out to the people who could not come to church. Monsignor Antonelli would come to you to read you the Gospel and share his homily because he believes that is his calling. That is his one way to bring people closer to the Lord.”

Fr. Ike Ayuyu, in a Facebook post, also conveyed his condolences. “I extend my sincere condolences and prayers to his immediate family, the people of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa, and most especially the people of Rota whom he served practically all his life as a priest. Thank you Monsignor Antonelli.”

Alys Mundo, a Rota resident who is currently in Salem, Oregon, said the people of Rota will be forever grateful for his guidance. “Rest in love and peace, Monsignor Antonelli. Rota will always keep you in our hearts and prayers. We will miss you. We are blessed to have you in our lives. Forever grateful. Please watch over us. Your legacy will live on. Adios, Pale.”

Antonelli was relieved in 2015 of pastoral administrative duties by then-Chalan Kanoa Diocese apostolic administrator and now Bishop Ryan P. Jimenez. The decision was made due to Antonelli’s health, who was then 97 years old.

Rev. Fr. Manuel F. Lim replaced Antonelli as the pastor of the San Francisco de Borja and San Isidro parishes on Rota.