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A renowned New York City Catholic priest was revealed to have had a secret son who he raised while amassing a $7million fortune.
Reverend Louis R. Gigante, well-known for both for his civic work and for being the brother of mob boss Vincent ‘The Chin’ Gigante, led a double life where took a vow of celibacy – but also returned home each night to live with the son he fathered in 1990.
Gigante lived with the son, Luigino, and the boy’s mother in the leafy New York area of Westchester, and commuted an hour into the city where he was a priest at the St. Athanasius Roman Catholic Church in the Bronx.
In addition to his work in the priesthood, Gigante ran a development company that built affordable housing and helped him rake in millions. He left his fortune to Luigino after his death last month.
The 32-year-old opened an internet cafe and coffee shop, Waypoint Cafe, in Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 2017.
Reverend Louis R. Gigante was recently revealed to have had a secret son
Luigino Gigante, 32, Reverend Louis Gigante’s not-so-secret son
Luigino told the New York Times that his parentage was an open secret in the church and the community, but that his father was never booted from the priesthood because of his larger-than-life personality.
‘We had a quiet life,’ Luigino said. ‘He was proud of me. We did everything together.’
He said his father’s paradoxical career ‘was just like another quirky thing.’
A representative for the Archdiocese of New York told the Times nothing was known ‘beyond rumors’ about Gigante’s son.
Father Louis Gigante (right) takes his brother Vincent ‘The Chin’ Gigante for a walk in Greenwich Village, New York
Father Louis Gigante (center) was a prominent figure in the Bronx during his life
The spokesperson said in cases where priests break their vows of celibacy and father children, they typically leave the church of their own accord.
‘While each case would be evaluated and addressed on its own merits, a priest who fathers a child would be expected to provide support for the child and mother,’ the spokesperson said. ‘In general, though, priests who have children leave the priesthood, usually voluntarily.’
Despite claims the the church knew nothing about Gigante’s son, Luigino said a friend of his father told him the church confronted him after the birth.
‘After you were born, your father was called down,’ Luigino said the friend recalled to him, ‘They asked me if I had a son, and I said, “Yeah,” 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 infraction because of his prominence in the community.
‘People felt he was just such a great guy, he did so much for the community,’ said former colleague Peter Cantillo.
The priest founded the South East Bronx Community Organization in 1968 – known as SEBCO – which revitalized rundown portions of the Bronx with affordable housing buildings.
‘It was common knowledge – no one really blinked about it,’ Cantillo added.
Luigino said his father made no effort hide him, and often openly introduced him to friends.
‘This is my son, in whom I am well pleased,’ Luigino told the Times his father would say.
‘I was no secret’ he added.
Luigino told the New York Times that his parentage was an open secret in the church and the community, but that his father was never booted from the priesthood because of his larger than-life personality
St. Athanasius Roman Catholic Church in the Bronx where Louis Gigante was a priest
Gigante took a $100,000 salary while serving as president of SEBCO, which over the years added up to a multi-million dollar fortune.
He also ran a number of associated development companies which 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 don’t get paid and that I’m a saint for doing it. That’s their problem.’
In addition to his prominence in the Bronx community, Gigante became well known for his relationship with his brother Vincent Gigante, who was convicted boss of the Genovese crime family.
Father Gigante would famously take his mafioso brother for walks around Greenwich Village dressed in a robe and slippers as part of what was believed to be ruse make it appear 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 girl in the 60s and 70s. He said he was innocent, but died before the case progressed.
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