Rev. Anthony Azzarto, S.J., an iconic Jesuit priest who had an extraordinarily impactful six-decade association with Saint Peter’s Prep, died on April 15, 2023, in the Jesuit infirmary at Murray-Weigel Hall on the campus of Fordham University. He was 84.
Michael Gomez, Ed.D., Prep’s president, said, “Whether he was preaching to 950 students, celebrating Mass in your backyard with family and friends, or leading a faculty and staff retreat, Fr. Azzarto always taught us the importance of human interactions—and seeing the good, seeing God in each one. He always reminded us to walk the road together, and he has walked with thousands and thousands of folks–on our dark and lonely roads and on the roads to our greatest heights. Those lessons live on in the fabric of Saint Peter’s Prep.”
James Horan, Prep’s vice president, who has known Fr. Azzarto as friend and colleague for 49 years, referred to him as “a towering Jesuit,” adding, “He was the absolute embodiment of Prep’s core identity as a Jesuit institution. His impact on this school has been nothing short of profound and transformational–in the truest sense of those often overused adjectives–affecting generations of graduates, their families, and his professional colleagues. His passing leaves an almost unthinkable void, but his legacy will remain an indelible part of this campus for future generations. He will be the ultimate touchstone whenever someone references the Jesuit ideal of being a ‘man for others.’”
In 1963, seven years after entering the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) at Bellarmine College (Plattsburgh, NY), Fr. Azzarto arrived at Prep’s downtown Jersey City campus and quickly distinguished himself as a faculty member who was highly relatable to his teenage students, and whose daily activities were defined by a genuine care for each member of the school community. This included creating and moderating cocurricular activities that provided new opportunities for all students to become involved in school life.
He left Prep in 1966 to continue his religious studies and was ordained a priest on June 12, 1969. He had earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Loyola Seminary (Fordham University), and he went on to earn his M.Div. degree from Woodstock College, MD. He returned to campus in 1972, and over the next five decades he served as counselor, chaplain, alumni chaplain and teacher, including classes as varied as British literature, prayer and the saints. Also, in his role as chaplain he led the Emmaus retreat program for nearly 20 years.
From 1980-1985, Fr. Azzarto was assigned to Saint Joseph’s Church in Benin City, Nigeria, where he served as pastor. In addition to his parish duties, he ministered at the local leper hospital and prison, and he was part of a team of New York Jesuits instrumental in building the Society of Jesus in Africa. He was a tireless promoter of Jesuit vocations in Nigeria and remained very proud of the wonderful Jesuits serving the church in Nigeria and throughout Africa. In addition to serving several summers in Nigeria when he was teaching at Saint Peter’s, he returned to Africa in 2005-2006, serving in Lagos, and then he returned to Prep. In 2018 he was assigned to the Jesuit community at Murray-Weigel Hall in the Bronx, praying for the Church and the Society of Jesus and continuing his ministry at Prep, especially in conjunction with the school’s Alumni Spirituality Committee.
Over his career at Saint Peter’s, Fr. Azzarto’s impact began in the classroom and stayed with the graduates as they proceeded into adulthood. He officiated at countless weddings, baptisms and funerals of Prep alumni and their families. Somehow he was virtually always available, and he served in that capacity while also finding time to attend many of Prep’s athletic events, especially contests at the freshman and JV levels. A proud Brooklyn native, a 1956 graduate of that borough’s Jesuit high school, Brooklyn Prep, and an avid sports fan, Fr. Azzarto was known for his ongoing loyalty to the Dodgers, and he knew his support of Prep’s underclassmen would be most impactful to the young athletes.
His presence also extended off campus, including organizing and officiating at liturgies, called “Prep on the Road,” held at the homes of Prep families in various geographic areas.