A prominent New York City Catholic priest is said to have had a secret son whom he raised while amassing a $7 million fortune.
Reverend Louis R. Gigante, known both for his civic work and as the brother of mob boss Vincent ‘The Chin’ Gigante, led a double life, taking a vow of celibacy but also returning home every night to be with him to live son he fathered in 1990.
Gigante lived with son Luigino and the boy’s mother in leafy New York suburb West Chester and commuted to the city where he was a priest at St. Athanasius Roman Catholic Church in the Bronx.
In addition to his priesthood work, Gigante ran a development company that built affordable housing and helped him make millions. After his death last month, he left his fortune to 32-year-old Luigino.
Reverend Louis R. Gigante was recently revealed that he had a secret son
Luigino Gigante, 32, Reverend Louis Gigante’s not-so-secret son
Luigino told the New York Times that while his parentage was an open secret in the church and community, his father was never disfellowshipped because of his towering personality.
“We had a quiet life,” said Luigino. “He was proud of me. We’ve done everything together.’
He said his father’s paradoxical career was “like another quirky thing.”
A representative from the Archdiocese of New York told the Times that “nothing is known about Gigante’s son other than rumours.”
Father Louis Gigante (right) takes his brother Vincent ‘The Chin’ Gigante for a walk in Greenwich Village, New York
Father Louis Gigante (centre) was a prominent figure in the Bronx during his lifetime
The spokesman said in cases where priests break their celibacy and father children, they usually leave the church of their own accord.
“While each case would be judged and dealt with on its own merits, a priest fathering a child would be expected to support both the child and the mother,” the spokesman said. “However, priests who have children usually leave the priesthood voluntarily.”
Despite claims the church knew nothing about Gigante’s son, Luigino said a friend of his father’s told him the church confronted him after the birth.
“After you were born, your father was called down,” Luigino said, the friend recalled, “they asked me if I had a son and I said ‘yes’ and left. And that’s that.’
A statue of Father Louis Gigante erected outside the Bronx Church where he was a priest
Friends of Gigante speculated that the church turned a blind eye to the violation because of his prominence in the community.
“People thought he was a great guy, he did so much for the community,” said former colleague Peter Cantillo.
The priest founded the South East Bronx Community Organization — known as SEBCO — in 1968, which revitalized run-down parts of the Bronx with affordable housing.
“It was common knowledge — no one really blinked at it,” Cantillo added.
Luigino said his father made no effort to hide him and often openly introduced him to friends.
“This is my son that I am very pleased with,” Luigino told the Times, as his father would say.
“I wasn’t a secret,” he added.
Luigino told the New York Times that while his parentage was an open secret in the church and community, his father was never disfellowshipped because of his towering personality
St. Athanasius Roman Catholic Church in the Bronx where Louis Gigante was a priest
Gigante earned a salary of $100,000 as President of SEBCO, which has added up to a multi-million dollar fortune over the years.
He also managed a number of associated development companies that served the SEBCO buildings and brought him large profits.
“I didn’t take a vow of poverty,” Gigante said in a 1981 profile in The Times. “People think I’m not getting paid and that I’m a saint for it. That is her problem.”
In addition to his notoriety in the Bronx community, Gigante became known for his relationship with his brother Vincent Gigante, who was a convicted boss of the Genovese crime family.
Father Gigante famously walked around Greenwich Village with his Mafioso brother in robe and slippers to make it appear that he was mentally handicapped. He always insisted on his brother’s innocence.
In 2021, Father Gigante was accused of molesting a 10-year-old boy and 10-year-old girl in the ’60s and ’70s. He said he was innocent but died before the case progressed.