Archdiocesan Priest, Rev. Phillip F. Cioffi, Dies
Chicago, IL (Sept. 23, 2019) – Rev. Phillip F. Cioffi, recently retired priest and former associate pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish on Belmont Avenue in Chicago, passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019, at the age of 64.
Cioffi was born on July 20, 1955, in Chicago. He attended Our Lady Help of Christians School in Chicago, Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Ill., DePaul University in Chicago and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Ill.
Cioffi was ordained to the priesthood with 11 fellow seminarians on May 13, 1981, by John Cardinal Cody, and he celebrated his first solemn Mass on May 22 of the same year at St. Genevieve Parish in Chicago.
Cioffi served as associate pastor at the following parishes: St. Frances of Rome Parish in Cicero, Ill., Our Lady of Mercy Parish on Troy Street in Chicago, St. Bernardine Parish in Forest Park, Ill., Immaculate Conception Parish in Highland Park, Ill., and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish on Belmont Avenue in Chicago.
Rev. Jeremiah Boland, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Glenview, Ill., remembered his classmate as “one of the most beloved members of the class of 1981.” Boland added that “he was bright and had a terrific sense of humor. He was greatly influenced by the spirituality of St. Philip Neri.”
Rev. Alec J. Wolff, Orat, JCL, presiding judge at the Archdiocese of Chicago, was also a classmate of Cioffi. “He was always ready to help others without fuss or delay,” said Wolff. “He found being a priest the most challenging yet most satisfying way to live life.”
“He was a real gentleman,” said Rev. William Corcoran, pastor of St. Elizabeth Seton Church in Orland Hills, Ill.
Visitation hours will be Monday, Sept. 23, 2019, from 3 to 7 p.m. while the funeral Mass will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019, at 10 a.m., and will be celebrated by Rev. Pat Lee.
All funeral services will take place at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, 708 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Interment will be at Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery in Hillside, Ill.