Dominic Auricchio, 13, says the Virgin Mary appeared in his bedroom months before doctors canceled his brain surgery.
The Westfield, New Jersey, eighth-grader had already felt called to the priesthood since age 4, when he says God spoke to him in a dream. “I had a dream and God came to me,” he recalled in an interview with 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.”
His mother, Maria, remembers the moment clearly. Dominic came home one day with an expanded ambition: “He came home one day and said, ‘I think I’m gonna be the first priest astronaut.'” The vision later evolved. “It’s now priest slash Marine. I want to become a Marine first and then join the priesthood,” Dominic said. His father, Neal, is a Marine who served two tours in Iraq and received the Purple Heart.
The family’s faith faced its hardest test in December 2022, when Dominic began suffering headaches. 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 explained.
Five months later, Dominic said the Virgin Mary came to him. “She was dressed just like we imagine her… And she told me that everything would be OK,” he shared. That June, a follow-up CAT scan brought stunning news. “They called me and said, ‘There’s no reason to move forward with the surgery,’ and now it’s like nothing,” Maria said. Subsequent MRIs now show only “a very small blip.”
Throughout the ordeal, Dominic kept praying. His mother overheard him in the backseat after school, speaking calmly to God: “He’s just going, ‘I’m just too young to die’… Very like matter of fact and calm.”
The teen serves as an altar boy at St. Helen’s Church and volunteers as a buddy to an autistic girl during 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 all serve as altar servers, said the family prioritizes church even when sports conflict. “Or they’ll just miss the sports for it. I’m just honest with the coaches that we have church.”
Dominic’s faith recently earned national recognition. He won this year’s Cardinal Joseph Tobin Essay and Video Contest, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Newark, beating out 49 seventh graders from 64 Catholic schools. He learned about the competition while hospitalized in March, recovering from his fifth seizure since December. “It was probably my worst seizure because I had to stay in the hospital for six days lying in a bed,” he said. The prize brought a plaque and $1,500.
In his winning video, Dominic speaks about hockey and family like a typical teenager before revealing his religious visions and vocation. “Priesthood is a life of service, sacrifice and joy, centered on Jesus,” he says in the footage. “I trust that God is guiding me step by step. And I hope to answer his call one day.” He also mentions writing to Pope Francis in fifth grade to request 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 medical struggles, including seizures with unknown causes, have shaped his compassion. “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.”
Despite ongoing health challenges, Dominic maintains his trust in divine purpose. “Even if something bad happens, it’s part of his plan, so you just have to go with it.”