ABOVE: In 1998, Father traveled to Rome and concelebrated Mass with Pope Saint John Paul II; pictured here during a private audience with the Pope after the Mass. (Photo courtesy of Bernie and Margaret Maher)
Father P. Carl Pilla, the oldest priest in diocese, turns 100
By Elizabeth Landry, staff writer
Father P. Carl Pilla has appeared in the pages of The Catholic Sun many times over the years, including in several issues celebrating his and his fellow priests’ various ordination jubilees. But this time, he’s appearing for a very special occasion — he’s the oldest priest in the diocese and celebrates his 100th birthday on June 19, 2025.
There’s much that our previous jubilarian editions have covered about Father Pilla’s life and 41 years of service in the priesthood, which spanned from his ordination in 1954 to his retirement in 1995. Originally from Our Lady of Pompei in Syracuse, where he attended grammar school, Father Pilla attended Christian Brothers Academy and then Syracuse University and St. Andrew’s and St. Bernard’s seminaries in Rochester. Upon his ordination, he had many assignments as parochial vicar and pastor at parishes throughout the diocese, including St. Anthony’s in Endicott, St. Bartholomew’s in Norwich, St. Mary’s in Cleveland, and St. Patrick’s in Truxton, where he was pastor for 19 years until his retirement.
However, readers may be surprised to learn several important things about Father Pilla that come together to make him a unique servant of God.
World War II veteran
Originally intending to become a lawyer before following the call to the priesthood, Father Pilla attended Syracuse University as a pre-law student for one year before he was drafted into the Second World War in 1944. He was sent to Fort Riley, Kansas, for basic training.
“You won’t believe this, but I took training on horses — 17 weeks of basic training. I took horse cavalry. They don’t use that anymore, but I could ride a horse. We would jump with them and everything,” he remembered.
Father Pilla served in the war for 16 months, beginning as a telephone operator in Kansas until the Battle of the Bulge, after which he was sent to Courances, France, with the military police. His duty there was to take care of American prisoners who had gone AWOL for different reasons, including misappropriation of government property and insubordination.
“I had to guard a prisoner one time who had murdered someone,” Father said. “[Prisoners] were regularly committing suicide, and I had to guard him and watch him.”
Father was discharged from service in June of 1945. He returned home and was accepted into the seminary in Rochester, NY, first at St. Andrew’s and then at St. Bernard’s.
Loyal friend to fellow clergy
Father Pilla maintained close friendships with fellow priests — some were life-long friendships and others took on special significance in retirement. Growing up while attending Our Lady of Pompei school, his good friend was Monsignor Eugene Yennock.
“Eight years together,” Father said, remembering their time as schoolmates. “His father and my father were trustees of Our Lady of Pompei Church.”
In his later life during retirement, Father spent 12 “glorious” years at The Nottingham. “I’ll never forget them. … There’s nothing like it. I miss it so much. Nottingham is a wonderful place,” he recalled.
One of his close friends at the Nottingham was Monsignor John Heagerty, with whom he had attended the seminary, and they developed a deep bond over the years. Father has many memories of this happy time, but some memories are bittersweet.
“There’s nobody like [Monsignor Heagerty],” Father said. “I never met anyone like him. He was a leader. When he walked into a room, the room lit up. He was a good friend of mine. At the Nottingham, we would visit each other every day. He picked up my meals, and we were good friends. He called me up one day and said, ‘Carl, I just had a stroke. I won’t be able to see you for a long, long time.’ And he died. My best friend.”
Lover of travel and poetry
One of Father’s happiest memories is the three-month summer vacation he shared with his mother and brother (who was also a priest) in 1961, traveling throughout Europe.
“We went to Fatima. We went all over Spain. We went to Lourdes. What a beautiful pleasure [Lourdes] is, so quiet. We went to Frontera, where they make the sherry. We went to Granada. … We went to Italy and spent 10 days in Rome. Boy, Rome is a beautiful place,” Father reminisced.
Father also has a fondness for poetry, and his favorites he can quote from memory. He shared that he has a particular love for Joyce Kilmer’s poetry, quoting a line from “Rouge Bouquet,” a poem about a World War I attack by the Germans on an American trench position near the French village of Baccarat.
“‘They will never laugh or love again, or taste of the summertime,’” Father recited. “Isn’t that beautiful?”
Another of his favorites, “Earth’s crammed with heaven,” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, he can recite from memory, expressing his awe at the beauty of the verse.
Even when asked what advice Father would give to younger priests today, his answer is woven with a hint of poetry.
“Stay with it,” Father said, offering encouragement to younger clergy. “It’s very hard to be a priest today. A lot of distractions, a lot of problems. Hang in there. The thing I miss so much is not being able to say Mass. I used to say Mass almost every day. …. The thing is, pray. Prayer is very important. More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Pray, pray, pray.”
Keeping Father Pilla in our prayers as he approaches this milestone birthday, we thank him for his many years of priestly service to the people of the Diocese of Syracuse. Happy birthday, Father!
