The priest of the Italian community in London

Father Andrea Fulco is a Pallottine Priest at St Peter’s Church in Clerkenwell and he’s the most well-known priest of the Italian community in the heart of London. Besides pastoral life, he has a personal hobby and remaining faithful to his country’s most famous tradition, he reveals his favourite passion: cooking and baking cakes for people who come to the church.

He’s from Aprilia, a city in the Lazio region of central Italy. From 2003 to 2007, he spent the first 4 years of his experience as a young priest in London, mentored by the renowned Father Carmelo Di Giovanni, known for being the priest of the Italian’s community for 43 years. Father Andrea was then transferred to Italy for pastoral commitments in Grottaferrata and Ostia, two small towns in Rome.

“Woe to you if you don’t come back to the church next week!”, he tells the faithful who usually attend the mass. In 2014 he was sent back to London and since that moment he has been the priest of this community, taking the place of Father Carmelo.

“Being a priest for this historical community is very difficult. It requires a massive presence. Italians living here are immigrants, so they can ask you for some help anytime,” he says.

Brought up by his parents in the precincts of his local parish, Father Andrea recounts that he has decided to take religious vows because he was used to this type of life and has always had a sensitivity for people’s difficulties. “It’s been sort of a natural inclination thanks to my parents,” he adds, remembering them with a smile on his face.

His family immediately supported the Father’s choice to become a priest, but invited him to think carefully about it and value his alternatives, because of the restrictions priests have to respect, such as the absence of a family.

To the question “have you ever wished to have a family?”, Father Andrea answers without hesitation: “Yes. When I see children so linked to their parents, I always think that it would have been nice.”

“At the beginning I was so fascinated by this passion, I had not realised these little details, neglecting them. This is what happens when you like doing something: you forget the rest,” he adds laughing.

He confesses that he has been going through the typical age, 48, during which a priest starts questioning himself about his choices, reflecting on what he’s done so far.

“In your 30s you’re filled with youthful enthusiasm, but then you start reflecting on your vocation. Another critical part is between your 80s and 90s, when you think of death,” he says, laughing loudly. “But even when it comes to death, we need to know how to face it!” Despite this, he doesn’t regret his decision.

Sitting in his office inside St Peter’s, he compares his pastoral life in Great Britain, and the one he had in Italy, in terms of culture, people, faith and solidarity. “My experience in Italy was definitely different from here. In London, the priest is not only a spiritual guide, but also a social point of reference and aggregation.”

He carries on the conversation at ease and with a strong sense of humour, by sharing some funny anecdotes about the faithful. He says that when he’s about to celebrate the mass, he finds himself dealing with “too many things”, such as answering the church landline, receiving “3,000 calls” on his personal mobile phone and it could also happen that someone rings the bell for different types of requests: funeral, wedding, confession, money or references. “Sometimes I would need three or four hands to do everything…this is a very active church!”

When Father Andrea came to London, Michele Morena was one of the first people he met. Morena is the president of Casa Italiana San Vincenzo Pallotti, a social club next door to St Peter’s, founded in 1960.

“I see him [Father Andrea] everyday, he’s a person you can always talk with. We constantly try to establish a collaboration between the church and the club,” says Morena.

“He usually cooks cakes when he knows it’s someone’s birthday. He really likes being among us,” Morena adds.