
Son of Ugo Palmieri and Elena Perito, Fr. Armando Palmieri was born on April 14, 1973 in Altavilla Silentina, Naples, Italy. He became a postulante in the Vocationary San Francesco of Altavilla in 1984, when he was 11 years old. He was ordained on December 3, 1998. On January 5, 1999, one month after his ordination, Fr. Armando was transferred to the United States. Fr. Armando was chosen to be the Novice Master at the Fr. Justin Vocationary in Florham Park, NJ. In 2003, he was appointed Administrator and later Pastor at St. Nicholas Parish in Palisades Park.
His time at St. Nicholas was marked by a changing, renewed vision. Right from the beginning, he remodeled the inside of the church with new floors, elevated altar, changing the colors in the walls, and outside — the reconstruction of the rectory’s front garden and a fundraiser “Memory Path” in the sidewalk between the rectory and the school.
He already spoke many languages, and soon learned to speak Portuguese as well, becoming a true Brazilian at heart. He understood the need to maintain their cultural traditions and gave incentive to a great number of events in the community. His willingness to reach the Brazilian community was most shown when he brought a statue of Our Lady Aparecida, patroness of Brazil and supported the celebrations and procession of her feast day. Italians were also full of joy with their native Italian pastor and American were reinvigorated by his energy.
Fr. Armando was the Pastor of St. Nicholas from 2003 to 2011. On January 1, 2012, he was transferred to the new Vocationist community of Brooklyn, NY, where he was appointed Administrator of the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Solace in Coney Island. In July of 2012, in the 14th Vocationist Chapter, he was elected “Councillor for the Parishes and Vocationaries.” He has traveled abroad visiting the Vocationist Communities India, the Philippines, Indonesia, United Kingdom and Brazil, where he learned to speak also Malayalam and Indonesian.