Naperville Pastor Dies After Coronavirus Hospitalization

NAPERVILLE, IL — The Calvary Church of Naperville announced Monday that one of their pastors had died a week after being diagnosed with the new coronavirus. Angel Escamilla was a pastor and assistant organizer for the church's Spanish-language services.

"It saddens my heart to tell you that Pastor Angel Escamilla has passed away from this life," Calvary Church's Lead Pastor Marty Sloan said in a social media post. "I know that we prayed for his earthly healing in hopes he would remain with us."

The congregation, which frequently streams services on Facebook, had switched to online-only worship by March 14. This was before Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a "stay at home" order for the state on March 20.

By March 27, Escamilla was hospitalized with pneumonia and the church posted online asking worshipers to pray for the pastor.

According to the church website, Escamilla has served in ministry for more than 40 years. His roles included pastor, missionary and teacher. He was also married for more than 40 years and has two sons and 10 grandchildren.

In his church biography, Escamilla said, "I am passionate about living life without regret or fear, fulfilling God’s desire for my life."

The City of Naperville is located in both DuPage and Will County. Both are in the top five counties for COVID-19 cases statewide.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, DuPage County has 320 confirmed cases and Will County has 224 as of Monday, March 30. Between the two, there have been 14 deaths.