Former Bonner-Prendie president dies at age 69
Thousands mourn loss of beloved ‘Father Gus’
Surrounded by his three sisters holding his hand and praying the Rosary at his bedside, beloved Augustinian priest Rev. Augustine “Gus” Esposito, OSA, PH.D died at Bryn Mawr Hospital Saturday afternoon, losing a five-week battle with COVID-19.
In an official statement released by the Augustinian Province of St. Thomas of Villanova, Provincial, Rev. Michael Di Gregorio, OSA, stated, “Father Gus was a widely known and admired religious and priest, spiritual director, mentor to seminarians, educator, and preacher. He died at the age of 69, in the 47th year of his religious profession.”
During December and early January, as news circulated about Esposito’s sudden illness, thousands prayed and held prayer chains for his recovery. When the word saddened and spread of his weeks on a ventilator and then subsequent death over the weekend, social media platforms lit up, as thousands posted their memories of a good and holy priest and an exceptional man. Family and thousands of friends, fellow
“He fought very hard. But I have to believe God wanted him more. He did his work on earth and did it well. God was ready for him to have his just reward in heaven.”
— Theresa Scanlan, sister of the late Rev. Gus Esposito
priests, students and classmates pulled for Esposito as he battled the deadly virus, right up to the end.
“He had a way about him— his smile, his voice—they were so beautiful and so gentle,” said his sister, Theresa Scanlan of Media, as she reeled with emotion talking about her brother’s life and death. “Gus had a way of calming everyone, making each person feel special like they were the only one that mattered. He had almost an aura about him that drew people to him. Gus was there for everyone he encountered, always generous with his time and abilities. He jumped into every situation with both feet.”
Scanlan said the Esposito family has been overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and ex
pressions of sympathy that have come, not just locally but from places around the world.
“He fought very hard,” Scanlan said. “But I have to believe God wanted him more. He did his work on earth and did it well. God was ready for him to have his just reward in heaven.”
Most Rev. Timothy Christian Senior, V.G., M.B.A., M.S.W., M.A., M.Div, Rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia, stated, “The death of Father Esposito is a great loss for our entire seminary community. He was a wonderful priest, and a great gift to St. Charles in so many ways. He will be greatly missed by so many. We need to support and comfort one another at this time, and to accompany our beloved Father Gus with our prayers. Gus loved St. Charles very much, and especially all our seminarians. We all have an intercessor in him now. May he rest in peace.”
Members of the Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast High School community had been vocal in seeking prayers and expressing their love for Esposito, former president of the high school, in the past several weeks. Sadly, they are expressing their heartfelt grief this week.
Esposito was instrumental in
laying the groundwork and rallying Bonner’s alumni to save the school from closing in 2012, as well as building the school’s athletic complex and fields. After the two high schools, Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast merged into MBAP, Esposito was the celebrant at the final closing Mass for the Prendie Chapel on Nov. 2, 2019.
Jon Schaffer, MBHS Class of 1988, who served as president of the Monsignor Bonner Alumni
Association from 2004-2008 during Esposito’s presidency, spoke of Esposito’s extraordinary leadership, work ethic and strength, saying he was truly “one of a kind.”
“Father Gus was a gentle and humble man, but no one could ever mistake his kindness for weakness,” Schaffer stated. “His leadership skills and work ethic are legendary. Father Gus’s ability to lead was second to none and his relentless pursuit of his mission and his work ethic set an example for the alumni and the community to never want to let him down. Whatever Father Gus put his mind to for a mission, he completed and we all followed his lead. The end result was building a multi-million dollar athletic complex with the area’s top turf fields … and bringing the community together to keep the schools open. He laid the ground work for his predecessors to make Bonner and now the Bonner-Prendie community a viable option for long term Catholic education. In my opinion, those years of Father Gus’s reign as president were the most critical time in the school’s history and without Father Gus neither Bonner or Prendie would be open today. His greatness as a leader, servant of God, best friend and family man were second to none.”
“We are truly saddened by the news of Father Gus’s passing,” stated John Cooke, current president of Bonner Prendie High School. “The outpouring of messages and condolences we have received from alumni and friends of the school demonstrates the positive impact Father Gus had on our community. Although he had no responsibility to Bonner & Prendie since he left the school in 2009, after serving four years as president, Father Gus was no stranger to the school as he still came back often to visit, assisted with Masses, and administered the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He was just here in October to concelebrate a Mass in honor of a staff member who was retiring. And this past Friday our school minister, Father Joseph Zaleski, who was a student of Father Gus at St Charles Seminary, celebrated a Mass for Father Gus in our school Chapel that members of the Esposito family attended. It was a beautiful liturgy that was livestreamed
so Father Gus’s nurses at Bryn Mawr Hospital were able to virtually stream it into Father Gus’s room. The nurses said, based on his vitals, that he actually was responding to the words of what was most likely his last Mass before his passing.”
Esposito was an inspiration and role model to multitudes of students and to countless young men who were contemplating or already journeying on the road to priesthood. Father Joseph Zaleski is one of them.
“Father Gus became my spiritual director when I first entered the seminary in 1995,” explained Zaleski, who is current school minister at Bonner Prendie and resides at Sacred Heart Rectory in Clifton Heights. “When I left the seminary after a few years later, he remained my spiritual director and friend during the entire 11 years that I was out of seminary formation. With his prayers, support, friendship and most of all, his example, he guided me back to the seminary in 2011. When I was ordained a priest in May of 2015, he was my official sponsor who vested me with the Chasuble (outer vestment for Mass). Gus was a priest’s priest. He mentored so many diocesan priests in so many ways. Father Gus was a true example to me and so many others of what a priest’s
life ought to look like— that is a life of prayer, service and humor.”
Rev. Thomas O’Donald, who was ordained in 2016 and is assigned to St. Bede the Venerable Parish in Holland, Bucks County, is also an alumni of Monsignor Bonner High School, Class of 2007. O’Donald, whose family lived in East Lansdowne and later in Newtown Square, said that his priestly vocation was inspired by Esposito.
“Father Esposito was my high
school president, seminary professor, family friend and brother priest,” O’Donald said. “In all of those different roles, he showed me love, kindness, joy and patience. He was someone whom I could talk to about anything. He was the first person I told that I was entering the seminary and he was the person who was there for me through every up and down along the way. He gave completely of himself to so many people and showed them the love of Christ.”
Esposito was born Sept.
10, 1951 in South Philadelphia. He was raised in Collingdale, and attended Blessed Virgin Mary School in Darby, where he received all of his sacraments and celebrated his First Mass, following his ordination. He then attended Monsignor Bonner High School in Drexel Hill, where he graduated in the Class of 1969.
He entered the Augustinian Province’s pre-novitiate program in September 1971 and was received into the order as a novice on Aug. 29,
1972. After a year at Good Counsel Novitiate, New Hamburg, N.Y., he professed simple vows on Aug. 28, 1973. He then attended Villanova University, where he received his BS in Education in 1975.
Esposito moved to Augustinian College, Washington, D.C., where he attended the Washington Theological Union and received his M. Div. degree. He also studied at Middlebury Language School in Vermont, and received an MA in Spanish Language. He professed solemn vows on Jan. 8, 1977. In
1978, he was assigned to St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish, Bronx, N.Y. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 2, 1979, at St. Denis Parish, Havertown, by Bishop Edward Hughes, auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia.
Esposito continued in Hispanic ministry at St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish, Bronx, until 1980, when he was assigned to Msgr. Bonner High School. He then returned to the Bronx until 1984 when he began Ph.D studies in Spanish at Temple University, as a member of St. Thomas Monastery, Villanova. After completing his doctorate, he taught at Villanova University from 1988 to 1990, and from 1991 to 2001, was professor of Spanish, spiritual director and chair of the pastoral theology department at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Philadelphia.
In 2002, he was assigned as president to Msgr. Bonner High School. When Msgr. Bonner and Prendergast High Schools became co-institutional in 2007, he was named president of the two schools.
He received the Papal Honor of the Cross in 2006 and was inducted into the Bonner Hall of Fame in 2008. He gave retreats in many places in the United States, and internationally. In 2009, he was assigned to St. Augustine Friary, Malvern, and the following year served at St. Augustine Preparatory School, Richland, N.J. From
2011 to 2012, he was a member of St. Augustine Friary, Villanova, and in August
2012 of Saxony Hall, Rosemont, while teaching at Villanova University. In 2013 he was engaged as an associate professor at St. Charles Seminary and later appointed temporary vice rector in
2014, and director of pastoral and apostolic formation the following year. From Nov. 1,
2014, he was a member of St. Thomas of Villanova Monastery, Villanova.
In recent years, he continued to teach at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, while he resided at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Norristown, where he would celebrate Mass on weekends, including at least one Mass in Spanish. Last Saturday night, members and friends of St. Francis Parish came together to pray the Rosary for Esposito.
In addition to his many priestly duties and ways of helping the Catholic Church and its faithful, Esposito was an asset in the community. He served as an original board member of the Delaware County FOP Foundation.
“I’ve known Father for about 15 years,” stated Folcroft Deputy Chief Christopher Eiserman, vice president of the Delaware County FOP Lodge 27 and executive director of the Delaware County FOP Foundation. “He was a loving and caring man who would do anything for our police officers. Father’s death is a huge loss for all of us. He had an unmatched caring and gentle nature and he was the heart of his family. We have been praying for him throughout his illness. He was a special man.”
“Words can’t express our family’s gratitude for everyone’s love, prayers and support over the past few weeks,” Scanlan said. “I knew my brother touched a lot of lives, but I had no idea how much he was truly loved until he got sick and had such an outpouring of love and support. It is with heavy hearts that we say good-bye to him, but we are happy to know that he is now with Our Lord, reunited with our parents, brother Nicky, and sister Marianne.”
Scanlan also expressed her family’s gratitude to the medical team at Bryn Mawr Hospital.
“They are angels on earth,” she stated. “I cannot say enough about the doctors and nurses there. They are patient and caring and generous with their time. My brother was given wonderful care there.”
Scanlan said her family is “incredibly close” and she cannot even imagine life going forward without her brother, who brought such pride and joy to the whole family.
“My brother will always be loved and remembered for his love of God and faith, his vocation and his family and friends,” she said. “There will never be anyone like Gus.”
Esposito was predeceased by his parents, Augustine and Emma Esposito, his sister Marianne DiGiondomenico and his brother Nicholas Esposito. He is survived by his sisters Theresa Scanlan of Media, Grace August of Bryn Mawr, and Emma “Tootsie” DiCampli of Ridley Township, 12 nieces and nephews, and 11 great-nieces and greatnephews.
A private funeral Mass will be celebrated by Most Rev. Nelson Perez, archbishop of Philadelphia, at St. Martin of Tours Chapel, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Wynnewood, for immediate family and clergy only on Friday night, Jan. 15.
A funeral Mass, open to the public, will be celebrated by Rev. Michael Di Gregorio, O.S.A., Augustinian Prior Provincial, at St. Thomas of Villanova Church, 800 E Lancaster Ave, Villanova, 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 16, following a viewing that will begin at 9 a.m.