The life of Rev. Tony Azzarto, S.J. was virtually synonymous with the phrase “ministry of presence.” Fr. Azzarto extoled the virtues of “showing up,” and practiced what he preached with great enthusiasm. He always excelled at bringing the Prep family together—wherever two or three were gathered, or perhaps a thousand. And so it was fitting that, by the estimate of Prep’s operations department, more than 2,000 members of the Prep family passed through O’Keefe Commons on Thursday. They were there to pay their respects to a Prep Legend, but if you could ask the legend himself, he would no doubt say the gathering itself is what made the occasion sacred.
A steady flow of alumni, colleagues, and friends kept the commons filled throughout the day with voices sharing cherished memories and lifelong lessons, moments of laughter, and, yes, more than a few tears. In the evening, more than 500 guests filled the room to share a vigil service.
In a welcoming reflection, Prep President Michael Gomez, Ed.D., ’91 recalled the importance Fr. Azzarto took care to place on those everyday moments, and the way his ubiquitous camera helped to preserve them.
“Those pictures made you feel like you were a part of the Prep family, something greater than yourself, but they also reminded you that you could, and did, add to it,” Dr. Gomez said. “Maybe you didn’t think much about this, but the pictures were never of one person. It was always a group, in some way, shape, or form, walking the road together. Maybe these pictures all together were Tony’s work of art–creating a majestic tapestry entitled “Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places.“
View the Reflection Here
John Chester, ’74, P’03,’05, a longtime friend of Fr. Azzarto and member of the Alumni Spirituality Committee, offered a eulogy. ” If you had him in class you know he never gave much homework,” he noted. “Today is different. Today, we will leave with three Fr. Azzarto homework assignments.”
Those assignments:
- “Share a Tony Azzarto story. Share not just with family, classmates and those who knew him. Share a Tony Azzarto story with someone who never met our friend. Share, share and keep sharing.”
- “Be present in people’s lives. Be present in the lives of your friends, your family, your neighbors, your coworkers-even strangers. You don’t need to have the right words to say. You don’t need to give sage advice. Just be there. Listen. Or, be present in silence. Send a card. Send a brief note.”
- “Be Prep on the Road! Let us work to live lives of competence, conscience and compassion in all that we do. Let us adhere to the tenets of cura personalis: caring for the people we encounter—the whole person.”
“Fr. Azzarto, at many events, especially joyous events like class Masses, honor society inductions, baccalaureate Masses and weddings would tell us that not only priests can give blessings,” he added, before inviting the assembled Prep family to join him in a blessing for Fr. Azzarto.
View the Eulogy Here
A Funeral Mass for Fr. Azzarto will be celebrated Friday evening (7 p.m.) at Saint Aedan’s, the Saint Peter’s University Church. If you will be unable to attend, please join us via livestream on YouTube.