Priest Reaps $1 Million at Slots, Plans to Sow Money in Poor Parish

A Roman Catholic priest has won more than $1 million in an Atlantic City casino and is giving most of the money to his parish.

Father Frank Giliberti, pastor of St. Barbara Church here, won $1,077,777.77 playing a slot machine. He said he will use his winnings to pay off the church building fund, have the church interior painted and its carpet replaced.

Giliberti also will establish scholarships to provide tuition for parish children to attend local Catholic high schools. He said that as they arise, he will help with other parish finances, such as the monthly heating bill and the weekly payroll for teachers and staff of the church’s elementary school.

“Our problems are solved,” the priest told parishioners during a Sunday breakfast to celebrate his winnings. St. Barbara’s has about 400 families, all of whom the priest described as “stretched financially.” Most are black; about one-third are elderly and on fixed incomes.

Giliberti, 51, said he often plays the slots “for fun and relaxation.” As a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and not of a religious order, he was not required to take a vow of poverty at his ordination 19 years ago. The church provides him with food, clothing, shelter and a $500 monthly stipend.

One luxury he will allow himself is a new car. “My nephew suggested a Porsche, but my body couldn’t fit in one,” he joked.