Antonio DiCamillo, the Infant who Founded St. Joseph's Cemetery

Father Augustine Billerio had a problem. He was the pastor at St. Joseph’s, a Roman Catholic Church in Niagara Falls, NY founded by Italian immigrants in 1903. A native of Italy himself, Billerio knew that his church and the religious customs of his parishioners were incredibly important to the growing Italian community. He also knew that his church needed a cemetery so that his parishioners could properly bury their loved ones. 

In early April 1920, Father Billerio purchased a plot of land for this purpose. Before he could even get the city council’s approval to consecrate the land for Roman Catholic burials, “a mysterious ‘Petition of 11’” was “submitted to city officials opposing the use of [the] land for a cemetery.”

The petition was possibly fueled by anti-Italian sentiment, which was common in cities like Niagara Falls. In part, the new immigrants and their Roman Catholic traditions were considered ‘strange’ in a country that was largely Protestant.

Father Billerio knew the petition could devastate his plans for a parish cemetery if he didn’t act fast. That’s when he discovered the solution to his problem.

Two of his parishioners, Tomaso and Addolorata DiCamillo, were mourning the loss of their seven-month-old son, Antonio, who’d died that January from complications related to pneumonia. The grieving parents couldn’t bury their son because the ground was too frozen. So, they paid Oakwood Cemetery officials a small fee to store Antonio’s body in a storage vault until spring when they could properly bury him.

On April 21, 1920, Father Billerio snuck into Oakwood Cemetery under the starlit cover of night and removed the child’s body from the vault. The priest, or the child’s father, secretly buried Antonio in the disputed plot of land. Father Billerio thought that city officials would have to greenlight his cemetery now because they couldn’t possibly remove a child from his grave. 

The Niagara Falls Gazette reported on the “illegal burial” the next day. Someone had leaked the story. Curiously, the front-page article announced that a new cemetery had been established and would essentially stop the petition. It seems like Father Billerio wanted his secret mission “to happen under the cover of night” only to be exposed “in the light of day!” 

In late April 1920, the priest was brought before the city council to plead his case. Even though the city manager reported health and sanitation code violations and claimed that the land had poor drainage, the city council eventually sided with Father Billerio. 



St. Joseph’s Cemetery was officially consecrated in May 1920. Today, the cemetery encompasses 17 acres and has over 13,000 graves. Amazingly, it all began with one daring priest, two brave parents, and a sick child!

Hope L. Russell, Ph.D.