Joseph Medaglia

Joseph Medaglia was a Franciscan priest who played "Father Carmelo" in The Godfather and The Godfather Part II. In The Godfather he is seen in the famous baptism scene, and in The Godfather Part II he is shown administering young Anthony Corleone's first communion and later at the lakeside party celebrating the communion. According to an article in the Tampa Bay Times (July 24, 1993, retrieved online May 16, 2022), Father Medaglia met his wife Marilyn in 1991, while still a parish priest in upstate New York, after having served as a priest for 30 years. The two married in December 1992, in a civil ceremony. Medaglia later was transferred to a parish in West Virginia, and after acknowledging his marriage to his superiors, Medaglia was dismissed from the Franciscan order, which requires priests to be celibate. On February 5, 1993, at age 59, Medaglia died of a heart attack, which his wife attributed to the stress of trying to remain a priest after he married. He is buried in Calvary Cemetary, Woodside, N.Y.