Fr. Luciano Felloni, a Catholic priest and popular vlogger, died Sunday following a brief battle with cancer. He was 51.
The Argentinian priest passed away at a hospital in Metro Manila, where he had been receiving treatment in recent days.
“With heavy hearts, we share the passing of Fr. Luciano Felloni today,” the Diocese of Novaliches said in a statement. “Please keep Fr. Felloni and his loved ones in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this difficult time.”
In November 2024, during a gathering of Catholic vloggers, Felloni revealed that he had been undergoing treatment for skin cancer since last year.
In a Jan. 17 social media post, he opened up about the challenges of his treatment.
“Cancer treatment is a real rollercoaster,” Felloni wrote. “One day you are super ok and the next you are down with fever.”
Felloni first garnered media attention when Pope Francis visited the Philippines in 2015.
He shared that, in Argentina, the then-Bishop Bergoglio had led spiritual recollections during his time at the major seminary, and seminarians often went to him for confession.
Felloni arrived in the Philippines in early 2000s and was assigned to the newly established parish of Mother of Divine Providence in Payatas, Quezon City, one of the country’s poorest communities.
Later, while serving at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Caloocan City, another urban poor area, he led a community-based rehabilitation program for drug users amid the Duterte administration’s anti-narcotics campaign.
His most recent assignment was as parish priest at Jesus, Lord of the Divine Mercy Parish in Quezon City’s Mapayapa village.
He also served as social communications director of the Novaliches diocese.
Felloni’s vlog, AlmuSalita, became one of the most followed among Catholic vloggers. The name, a play on the Filipino words “almusal” (breakfast) and “salita” (word), referred to the vlog as a daily companion for Gospel reflections.
He was also a “Hall of Famer” at the Catholic Social Media Awards, winning Male Social Media Influencer from 2017 to 2019.
