[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 81 (Monday, May 15, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E441-E442]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING REV. ANTHONY AZZARTO, S.J.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 15, 2023

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I am paying tribute today to Reverend 
Anthony Azzarto, S.J., from Jersey City, New Jersey, and extending my 
condolences to his family. Rev. Azzarto's passing has profoundly 
impacted the Saint Peter's Preparatory School and the Jersey City 
community. He was associated with the school for more than six decades, 
leaving a lasting mark on generations of graduates, their families, and 
his colleagues. He taught the value of community and recognized the 
good in others. He genuinely cared for every school community member; 
we will never forget his legacy. I am including in the Record Rev. 
Anthony Azzarto's obituary.

       Rev. Anthony Azzarto, S.J., an iconic Jesuit priest who had 
     an extraordinarily impactful six-decade association with 
     Saint Peter's Preparatory, 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., Preparatory's president, said, 
     ``Whether he was preaching to 950

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     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, Preparatory's vice president, who has known 
     Fr. Azzarto as a 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 Preparatory'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 to 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 from 2005 to 
     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.

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