Rev. Msgr. Cosimo Corciulo, 90, passed away into Eternal Life on November 23, 2020 at his home in Norco.
Born on April 16, 1930 to Augusto and Romano Emma Corciulo in Lecce, Italy, he attended primary and secondary schools in Lecce, Italy and seminary in Taranto, Italy and also attended the Passionist Order Seminary in Rome from 1953 to 1956.
He was ordained to the Priesthood in his hometown of Lecce on January 22, 1956 for the Congregation of the Passion (Passionist Fathers) by Most Reverend Francesco de Filippis, Bishop of the Diocese of Brindisi, who also was his maternal great-uncle.
Msgr. Corciulo felt a strong desire to minister to the newly emerging missionary area in the United States, especially the growing Spanish-speaking communities. He was accepted for service in 1966 in the Diocese of San Diego by Most Reverend Francis J. Furey.
He served at various parish communities as Parochial Vicar, including, Our Lady of Guadalupe, San Bernardino (1966-1967 and 1968-1974); St. Theresa, San Bernardino (1968); Our Lady of Soledad, Coachella (1974-1975); Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Indio (1975-1979).
In 1979, he was made Administrator of St. Louis of France, Cathedral City, and from 1979 to 1982 served as Pastor of Christ the King, San Bernardino. He was incardinated into the Diocese of San Diego by Most Reverend Leo T. Maher, on January 17, 1977, later becoming a priest of the Diocese of San Bernardino at its creation in 1978.
In 1983, he began a long service of prison ministry, first in the City of San Bernardino and later at the California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) in Norco from 1984 until his retirement in 2007. In 1993 and in recognition for his many years of service as a prison chaplain, he was given the title of Monsignor (Chaplain to His Holiness) by Pope St. John Paul II at the request of Most Reverend Phillip F. Straling.
Funeral Mass was on December 11, 2020 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, San Bernardino and Christian Burial took place at his family estate at Mountain View Cemetery, San Bernardino.