While most 4-year-olds were speaking to Elmo, Lil’ Dominic Auricchio was talking to the man upstairs.
“I had a dream and God came to me,” the now 13-year-old recalled to The Post. “He told me to be a priest, and then I went into my mom’s bedroom . . . it was the middle of the night . . . and ever since then I’ve wanted to become a priest,” he said.
The rising eighth-grader at Holy Trinity School in Westfield, NJ, has kept his commitment to the cloth — alongside other aspirations.
“He came home one day and said, ‘I think I’m gonna be the first priest astronaut,’” his mom Maria recalled.
“It’s now priest slash Marine. I want to become a Marine first and then join the priesthood,” said Dominic, whose father, Neal, is a Marine who served two tours in Iraq and was awarded the Purple Heart.
Dominic began suffering from headaches in December 2022, and an MRI revealed a large mass on his brain.
“He went on medications and we were debating on what we were going to do. We didn’t want obviously to do surgery if we didn’t have to . . . because of where it was, they would have had to cut into bone,” Maria said.
Months later, in May 2023, Dominic said the Virgin Mary appeared in his bedroom to assure him he’d recover.
“She was dressed just like we imagine her . . . and she told me that everything would be OK,” said Dominic.
That June Dominic had a CAT scan, and “they called me and said, ‘There’s no reason to move forward with the surgery,’ and now it’s like nothing,” Maria said.
“Now, when he has an MRI, it appears as just a very small blip.”
Throughout the harrowing health scare, Dominic remained a devout Catholic and was “praying non-stop,” he said.
On the ride home from school one afternoon after the diagnosis, Maria heard her son talking to God in the backseat.
“He’s just going, ‘I’m just too young to die’ . . . very like matter of fact and calm,” she recalled.
The teen serves as an altar boy at St. Helen’s Church and as a buddy to an autistic girl at the parish’s inclusive Masses.
“There’s people with disabilities who can’t sit through a regular Mass . . . Everyone’s given a buddy to sit with. I feel closer to God every time I do that,” he said.
Maria, whose three sons are all altar servers, said the family attends different masses on Sunday, depending on their sports schedules.
“Or they’ll just miss the sports for it. I’m just honest with the coaches that we have church,” she said.
Dominic was this year’s winner of the Cardinal Joseph Tobin Essay and Video Contest, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Newark.
In the video, he talks about his love for his parents, brothers and hockey like a typical teenager, but then reveals his religious visions — and calling to the priesthood.
“Priesthood is a life of service, sacrifice and joy, centered on Jesus,” he says. “I trust that God is guiding me step by step. And I hope to answer his call one day.”
He also talks about the letter he wrote to Pope Francis when he was in fifth grade, asking for blessed items.
“I received a military Bible, holy water, and a crucifix; they were blessed by The Pope. I was really excited that morning,” he told The Post.
His winning video also mentioned how his medical issues, including suffering from seizures, whose causes are still unknown, have given him empathy for others.
“These experiences have helped me understand how other people feel when they are scared or hurting. I want to be someone who brings comfort and hope.”
Dominic was actually in the hospital in March, recovering from the fifth seizure he’s had since December, when he heard about the contest, in which 49 seventh graders from the Archdiocese of Newark’s 64 Catholic schools competed.
“It was probably my worst seizure because I had to stay in the hospital for six days lying in a bed,” said Dominic, who was awarded a plaque and $1,500 for his award-winning essay and video.
He said he stays faithful despite his medical issues because he knows “God is always working in his own ways.
“Even if something bad happens, it’s part of his plan, so you just have to go with it.”
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